Answers to Important Questions 

Mighty Minds strongly encourages visiting our school to take a tour, meeting our leadership and some teachers, and coming prepared to ask questions. We will be ready to answer any questions you have.

We recommend that you make a list about what you want for your child, what your specific needs are, and what your general concerns are regarding the care of your child. At Might Minds, we embrace flexibility in order to approach each family, its needs, and the care and development on a family by family basis..

During your visit, we may use your notes as a guide for our conversation and we are eager to answer the tough questions, so please don’t hold back.

In the meantime, below are some answers to frequently asked questions.

 
 

What safety certifications does your staff have?

While our approach is always positioned towards preventative safety measures, Mighty Minds has made exceptional efforts to train and certify its teachers regarding child and infant safety, including pediatric first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training (CPR), and Medication Administration Training (MAT). Read more about Safety at Mighty Minds→

 

How do you approach unwanted or undesirable behavior?

Mighty Minds Teachers and Leadership promote children’s self discipline, responsibility, and cooperation with others. Our goal regarding discipline is child self discipline and understanding. Beginning in the Rainbow Room, we work to condition children by redirecting undesirable behavior. In rare cases, teachers may expose the concept of consequences through a care-oriented, supervised timeout. In these cases, the Mighty Minds leadership will notify the child’s parents. In some cases with older children, we will contact the parents immediately and have them speak with their child over the phone.

More specifically, our approach to discipline is as follows—

  • Prevention. Our teacher to child ratios allow for close observation of students in the classroom, such that loving interventions can be made and questionable behaviors can be appropriately redirected before they become undesirable

  • Consequences. We don’t like use the term punishment; rather, we help our students understand the relationship between choices and consequences. A timeout, when necessary to calm a child displaying undesirable behavior, may be appropriate, but these timeouts are supervised by a teacher who can then communicate with the student and allow the student to experience their feelings in a safe environment, and settle down, giving the student the opportunity to talk and feel heard.

  • Discipline. Discipline never includes verbal abuse or physical punishment. If a child’s behavior becomes seriously disruptive to the classroom, his or her parent will be notified and a parent/teacher conference will be scheduled to address and discuss the problem.

  • Notification. Mighty Minds notifies parents when major or reoccurring behavioral challenges occur. Our teachers record a detailed account of all incidents and are required to make them aware to Mighty Minds leadership. This account is then conveyed to the parents.

Some of our discipline techniques include —

  • Using limits that are fair and understandable for a child’s level

  • Providing children with reasons for limits

  • Giving positively worded directions

  • Modeling or redirecting children to acceptable behavior

  • Helping children to constructively express their feelings and frustrations to resolve conflict

  • A supervised time-out will be used as a last option

 

What will happen in the case of an emergency? Do you have a documented emergency response protocol?

Mighty Minds has developed a comprehensive emergency response plan in accordance with the University of Virginia. Please inquire before your visit and we would be pleased to email you a copy. You can learn a little more about our emergency response protocols here→

 

How experienced is your staff in education and child behavior?

Our staff is trained by the Virginia Department of Social Services. In addition, many of them have earned a BA in elementary of secondary education. In fact, a majority of our teachers have college degrees.

 

Why did you get involved with child care?

Gigi founded Mighty Minds with a vision: to create a preschool where parents could drop off their children and leave with peace of mind, that is, knowing that their children would be loved well and guided through their educational experiences by caring, hand-picked teachers.

Now, she approaches each child uniquely and as if they were her own, addressing each one by name and showering them with attention and encouragement. You can read more about Gigi here→