Ivybrook Academy will welcome its first students to a new Indian Land campus in October, giving Lancaster County families a private preschool option that meets for half the school day.
The campus at 2730 Worldreach Drive is the second for Kailee and Titus Bowen, who have owned Ivybrook Academy Fort Mill since 2017. It will serve children from 18 months to 6 years old, including a private kindergarten program.
The expansion follows the families themselves. Kailee Bowen, the campus owner and executive director, said a steady stream of Fort Mill students has been commuting from Indian Land for years, and about a dozen families will move to the new campus because it sits closer to home.
“We have seen firsthand how quickly the Indian Land community has grown, especially with young families, and we knew there was a great need for more high quality, early childhood education options in the area, especially those that are half day,” Bowen said.
Construction Wrapping Up
JM Cope is building the campus. Bowen said crews are in the final stages of the parking lot and are completing interior work, with an open house and grand opening planned in the coming weeks.
Bowen said the proximity to Fort Mill was part of the decision. The two campuses are close enough that she can stay involved in both schools daily, which she said mattered to her more than adding locations for their own sake.
“Expansion has not just been about opening another location,” Bowen said. “We have been very intentional about growing in a way that allows us to maintain what makes Ivybrook special: smaller class sizes, individualized learning, beautiful classroom environments, and a strong sense of community.”
Class Sizes and Schedules
Ivybrook classrooms hold 12 to 20 children with two educators, depending on the age group, Bowen said. She said those numbers fall well below South Carolina’s state childcare staffing requirements.
“Keeping our classes small allows our teachers to really know each child, follow their interests, and meet them where they are developmentally,” Bowen said.
The morning session runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon and the afternoon session from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Families can choose schedules of two, three or five days a week depending on their child’s age. The programs for 4 year olds and for kindergarten meet five days a week.
A Blend of Teaching Methods
Ivybrook’s curriculum draws on two established early childhood approaches. The Montessori method centers on independence and hands on, individually guided work, while the Reggio Emilia approach emphasizes collaboration, creativity and exploration in a group setting. The school also incorporates the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which Harvard University professor Howard Gardner published in 1983 and which holds that children learn and show intelligence in different ways.
In practice, Bowen said, that means children work with real materials rather than craft kits: clay, wire, watercolor, natural objects and actual tools.
“We genuinely value the process of learning rather than creating something that looks perfect or teacher made,” Bowen said. “We see children as capable, competent learners, not just little kids who don’t understand things.”
Bowen said teachers are trained to follow a child’s lead, to listen to their ideas and to get down on their level and learn alongside them rather than delivering a fixed set of facts.
The physical space is part of the design. Ivybrook describes the classroom environment as a “third teacher,” and its classrooms use neutral colors, natural materials and displays hung at a child’s eye level. When the weather allows, teachers move lessons and activities outdoors, according to the campus website.
Programs by Age
The campus offers a toddler class for children from 18 months to 2 years, separate classes for children who are 2 and children who are 3, a combined class for children ages 4 and 5, and private kindergarten.
Toddlers work on sensory exploration, creative play and social and emotional skills. The program for 2 year olds builds early communication and problem solving through structured routines, and by age 3, children begin working with early reading and number concepts. The class for 4 and 5 year olds focuses on kindergarten readiness, with work in early literacy, math reasoning and social growth.
Ivybrook says its half day schedule is built around how young children learn best: focused periods of instruction followed by time to rest, play and reflect at home. The company ties that approach to guidance on developmentally appropriate practice from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Carrying Over a Fort Mill Culture
Kailee Bowen holds a bachelor’s degree in business and education from Liberty University and has worked with children for more than 16 years, teaching students from preschool through elementary school. Titus Bowen, the business manager, also holds a business degree from Liberty and left the restaurant industry to work at Ivybrook. The couple also founded a nonprofit organization serving abandoned and impoverished children in Peru.
Bowen said the Fort Mill campus has been part of that community for 15 years, and that members of the administrative team have been with Ivybrook for eight, 10 and even 14 years.
“One of the things I am most excited about is bringing the culture and community we have built in Fort Mill to Indian Land while still allowing this campus to develop its own identity,” Bowen said.
She said the goal for the new school is for families to feel known and for children to want to come each day.
“We want it to be a place where we get to watch them grow from tiny toddlers into confident, independent little humans who are truly ready to change the world,” Bowen said.
Enrollment and Tours
Ivybrook is accepting registrations through its online portal at registration.ivybrookacademy.com.
Tours are being held at the Fort Mill campus at 873 Dave Gibson Blvd. while construction finishes. Families can reach Kailee Bowen at 803.479.8180 or [email protected]. Open house and grand opening dates have not yet been announced.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
