Rainbow Academy, located on Route 130 in the Renaissance housing development in North Brunswick, celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 15. JENNIFER AMATO NORTH BRUNSWICK — Two local entrepreneurs have found their gold at the end of the rainbow: They went from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan to opening their second educational center in North Brunswick.
Veenu and Raj Parkash launched their own fashion line in New York in 1995. However, during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, they were unable to leave New York and be with their daughter, who had been attending a Rainbow Academy center in Iselin. Deciding they wanted to move away from the city, and being impressed by the childcare center’s educational model, the couple decided to open their own franchise.
Their first Rainbow Academy location, at 2878 Route 27 in North Brunswick, opened in August 2004. Their second, at 2701 Route 130 and Renaissance Boulevard, officially opened its doors on Sept. 15.
Above: Children attending Rainbow Academy in North Brunswick are able to play outside in a secured playground area. Right: Rainbow Academy, located on Route 130 in the Renaissance housing development in North Brunswick, has nine classrooms for children 6 weeks to 5 years old. PHOTOS BY JENNIFER AMATO “With long waiting lists at many of our centers, the second North Brunswick location will provide a terrific alternative for Middlesex County parents and their children,” Guy Falzarano, CEO and company founder, said of the 12th location to open in the area.
Enrollment is for children ages 6 weeks through preschool, though an aftercare program is available for children up to age 10. The new 10,500-square-foot facility can accommodate 200 children, generally at a 1- to-3 ratio of teachers to young children and a 1-to-10 ratio of teachers to older children.
Rainbow Academy’s basic principles follow the core values of CHILDREN: Care deeply with every interaction; create Happy memories; have Integrity and be honest; Lead by example; Deliver consistent customer service; Recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of others; strive for Excellence; and Nurture each family member in a positive environment.
Each of the nine classrooms offers different instruction per age group, such as sign language, letter and shape recognition, beginners’ reading and writing and music courses.
The Seedlings program is an enhancement to the creative curriculum, fostering learning through play. Handwriting Without Tears provides each child with a workbook they can trace and write for color, shape, letter and sound recognition.
Cultural holidays are celebrated, and worldly topics are brought down to an understandable level.
“We’re able to bring the world into our classrooms,” Raj said. “They are not only learning basics, they are also learning what is going on in the world.”
There is also a gymnasium area where children can be active, play and engage in exercise videos for children.
“We do not look at Rainbow Academy as a childcare center. For us, it is a preschool. We focus a lot on education,” Veenu said.
The facility offers a “Circle of Care” philosophy, which treats the needs of the parents just as the needs of the children. In this light, Veenu established a monthly Parents Night Out so that parents can enjoy time together while their children watch a movie and eat pizza at the academy. During the holidays, shopping days are held so that parents can go to stores without worrying about toting their kids along.
Also to keep parents at ease, Rainbow Academy uses the ParentView Internet Monitoring program so that parents and grandparents can watch the classroom activities online.
“It’s a good feature for any parents, especially if it’s the first time they are leaving their children,” academy Director Lisa Bottles said.
“We are connecting the grandparents, also, because they have access to the cameras… We have grandparents in different countries,” Raj added.
Technology is important to Rainbow Academy. There are interactive white boards and Apple iPads in most classrooms. Apple iPod Touches are used to show pictures and videos of the children, displaying various activities or capturing a special moment, as when a baby takes his or her first step.
“These days, kids are so used to gadgets that they’re involved. It makes learning fun,” Raj said.
Rainbow Academy is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For more information, call 732-821- 3950 or visit www.RainbowAcademy.com.
Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].