Hands-On Learning at the Malvern School

Diane Morgan is excited.

She’s excited about being an educator, she’s excited about getting young students ready for elementary school, and she’s excited about the newest Malvern School, opening up on South Main Street in Marlboro, in January.

“We’re focused really on all skill levels for each child, physical, cognitive and social,” said the Director of Operations.

The Malvern School, a private pre-school in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is opening its 22nd school, in Marlboro. The 8,000-square-foot includes several rooms for pre-K, and pre-school students, separate playgrounds for each age group, and will have a staff with degrees in early childhood education, education and teaching certificates, as well as certifications in first aid and CPR.

“Our teachers are all qualified,” she said. “Each class has one head teacher with a degree in education or child development. In pre-K they also must be a certified teacher. We have a lot of 4-year teaching students, but we really look for early childhood development.”

The school is holding an open house so parents can meet staff and tour the facility on Wednesday, Dec. 18, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Morgan says Malvern’s teaching philosophy is what sets it apart from competitors. With certified and educated teachers, staff attempt to craft lesson plans that target students’ interests and abilities, rather then creating a cookie cutter program for everyone.

“We still want to make it fun, and relevant to what’s going on in life,” she said. “We want to use children’s skills and interests in lesson plans so that we can make it interesting for them.”

A focal point in the day for some of the younger students is the Fascination Station, a play area that includes opportunities for dramatic play, art, music, language, physical exercise, music and more. Older students (pre-K) enjoy music and movement, dance, drama, math, and pre-reading skills. These students spend time in the Discovery Room, and both give students a chance to socialize with their classmates.

The new school in Marlboro is the second in the area (there’s an slightly older school located in Freehold) and was built from the ground up by Malvern.

“We build all our own schools so we don’t have to attach them to strip malls or take over someone else’s space,” she said.

The Malvern School is located at 130 S. Main St., Suite F in Marlboro. Visit them online at www.malvernschool.com.