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- Overview
- Programs
- Our Team
- Accreditation
About Cadence Academy Preschool in DuPont, WA
Welcome to Cadence Academy Preschool in DuPont, Washington. We are conveniently located near Palisade Boulevard and Center Drive at 2212 Palisade Boulevard in DuPont, Washington.
At our private preschool in DuPont, Washington, we like to make children feel at home when they walk through our doors. From the family photos on our classroom walls to the live plants, and some classroom pets, students are surrounded by comforting, familiar items representative of their homes.
A member of the Cadence Education Family of Schools, our daycare center provides a developmentally directed curriculum and early childhood education programs for children ages four weeks to 5 years old. Our qualified, trained teachers provide your child with a loving, structured environment filled with learning opportunities appropriate to each child’s stage of development.
Our dedicated staff encourages and enables students to discover concepts about themselves and their surrounding world, placing a great emphasis on social and self-help skills. Our daycare center encourages an open door policy where parents and families are always welcome to be a part of their child’s day.
Our Philosophy
Our mission is to provide children and families with a “Home Away From Home” in an environment that fosters a sense of self, love of learning, and community culture through care and play. We strive for educational excellence through hands-on learning, implementing a child-centered preschool curriculum that allows each student to shine as an individual.
Daycare & Preschool Programs Offered:
- Infant Daycare (ages 4 weeks to 1 year) – A daycare program designed to foster your baby’s early foundational skills in a calm, secure environment.
- Toddler Daycare (ages 1 to 2) – Professional caregivers guide your toddlers through a curriculum of cognitive, social and physical growth.
- Early Childhood Learning (ages 2 to 3) – A program focused on enhancing gross and fine motor skills in small, secure classroom settings.
- Preschool (ages 3 to 4) – A carefully designed preschool program focused on thoroughly preparing students for Pre-Kindergarten.
- Pre-Kindergarten (ages 4 to 5) – This Pre-Kindergarten program combines the skills and experiences taught in previous years to prepare students for the transition to Kindergarten.
What Makes Our Preschool Unique
Many of our families have kept their children with us from infancy through elementary school. In fact, the relationships we form with our families are so tight-knit that we stay in contact even when they move away.
What sets Cadence Academy Preschool DuPont apart from the rest? Here are some of the offerings that make us truly unique. We:
- Are NAEYC accredited, which is equivalent to the highest quality of care standards in the nation
- Employ qualified and dedicated staff
- Offer hands-on learning inside and outside
- Serve nutritious, family-style meals and snacks
- Are Baby Signs certified
- Offer a modern, security controlled facility in a family-friendly neighborhood
- Partner with NACCRRA and Army Child Care in your Neighborhood
- Foster Kindergarten readiness through our Pre-K Plus and Kindergarten Club programs
- Promote open communication with weekly emails featuring photos, progress reports, and classroom newsletters
Learn More About Our Preschool & Daycare Center
We are happy to show you our beautiful preschool in DuPont, Washington. Schedule a Visit Today! Call (253) 964-1033 for more information.
Programs Offered
Our Team
Aarika Merriman
School Director
Hi there, my name is Aarika, I have worked in the Early Childhood Education field for 12 years, and I have my associate’s in early childhood education from Clover Park Technical College. I love that we teach young minds important topics such as kindness, respect, and how to socialize with their peers. We are a team of people who get to help the little minds of many grow and blossom into these incredible people. We get to see the epiphanies of realization as they learn new information, and it is truly amazing. In my free time, I love to go antique shopping, spending time outside, and with my family. I am typically found antique shopping and looking into new places to explore with my family. I started working in early childhood education back in 2013 with one facility for 2 years, shortly after I made the move to Cadence Education in February 2015. I have had the amazing opportunity to try my hand at all classrooms and all positions; however, my all-time favorite would have to be either the school-age program or the one-year-old program. I was promoted into an assistant director role in 2019 and into a director role in 2021 and I have been at 4 of our locations over the years. It has been an incredible experience! Something that I think everyone needs to know and understand is that I strive every day for the success of everyone. From the small wins to the big wins, we are in it together. There is never a thing of oversharing with me. I am here for it all, and together we will help create a strong and supportive environment for children to thrive in.
Samantha (Sam) Menendez
Assistant Director
Hi, I’m Sam, I am the assistant director, and I have been in the early childhood education field for 6 years. I went to the Art Institute of California for photography. I love working with children and watching/being a part of their growth and learning! In my free time, I like to take long drives with my husband and child, go to the woods and explore and take photos. My hobbies include swimming and photography, and I really want to buy a mystery jar of jewelry from an antique store one day! I started back in May of 2019 after noticing kids playing outside at a preschool near my childhood home, and I thought that would be a great opportunity. I started as a Montessori assistant teacher, and I have worked my way into an assistant director role. I am here for the children and families every day, and I lead a team that is just as present for the children!
Franki Poellnitz
Interim Assistant Director
Hello, I am Franki, I am the other assistant director, and I have been in early childhood education for about a year, and I have an associate’s degree in general education from Wenatchee Valley Community College. I love being in an environment where children can learn and thrive while they grow, and Cadence provides the best for that. In my free time, I love spending time with family and close friends, going to concerts, camping, and hiking around the pacific northwest. The rest of my free time you can find me horseback riding, gaming, reading, and again, hiking! My journey in early childhood education started by working with the children in classrooms, and with my prior management experience, I have been given the opportunity to assist in the office regularly. I strive to keep open communication between families and classrooms, creating a welcoming environment for children.
Kaelyn Alleyne
Teacher of the Year
Hello and hi there, my name is Kaelyn, and I am a lead teacher of one of our preschool classrooms and teacher of the year this year! I am currently in school with Clover Park Technical College for early childhood education. The question is, what is there not to like about early childhood education? The kids are so funny, they love unconditionally, and they teach me just as much as I teach them. It’s always a good time! In my free time, I like to read, do puzzles, play pickleball, cuddle my dogs, and spend time with my family. My other interests include collecting things, Tim Burton, and my dogs! I started working in early childhood education in September 2023. I started off as a break staff and quickly moved to a teacher’s assistant position in our early preschool room, where I learned so much from the lead teacher that I eventually became a lead teacher myself, and I love it! I feel that children learn best when they get to help create the environment they learn in, so my classroom is constantly evolving and changing based on the children’s interests! I feel that consistently communicating everything with them not only helps them understand what’s going on throughout the day but also helps them get more comfortable with communicating themselves! I want every child to feel like every day is an awesome adventure that they can’t wait to have. I try my best to create a go with the flow environment that gets messy in the best ways possible!
Accreditations
NAEYC Accreditation
Every child deserves access to high-quality early learning experiences. NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn NAEYC Accreditation, schools must go through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program meets each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years. In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.
