A new therapeutic private school in Cookeville, will celebrate its grand opening with an open house Saturday to connect with families throughout the Upper Cumberland.
Anniston Academy Co-Founder Kathryn DuBray said the school works with children from Pre-K-6th grade who have ADHD, Autism, or Dyslexia. DuBray said the school offers a safe and inclusive Montessori-style classroom environment.
“That is typically the type of curriculum that we are using a lot of manipulatives,” DuBray said. “We are not really pushing worksheets and things like that. We are doing hands-on learning, different project-based learning, and really following the child’s interest.”
DuBray said she and Co-Founder Erin Crouch both heard about child development centers that offered a similar kind of learning environment, but quickly learned that the Upper Cumberland did not have anything like it.
DuBray said that once she had a son who was neurodivergent, she knew she needed to offer these kinds of services in the region.
“I thought, you know, I can’t be the only parent that is rushing my son from an academic place to this therapy, to this therapy, and driving to Nashville to access music therapy,” DuBray said. “And so I thought, you know, when we ever make this ideal utopian school that we have always dreamed of, not only does it need to include all of those really awesome education philosophies like Montessori, but it needs to embed those therapies within the school system as well, so that it is easier on the families and also easier on the kids so we are not pulling them out of academic instruction, or social opportunities to be able to access speech or OT (Occupational Therapy) when those things can happily live in the classroom.”
DuBray said the school has not done much advertising to get the word out. DuBray said Saturday will be a good opportunity for those learn more about the school.
“All of our providers, whether they are clinical providers or educators, are all well-versed and certified in a variety of different interventions for those students,” DuBray said. “And I think you know, a lot of parents want this type of educational model.”
DuBray said when the school soft-launched in August, she was shocked at how much of a demand there was for these services in the Upper Cumberland. DuBray said currently there are around 150 families on the waiting list.
Anniston Academy is located at 1696 West Broad Street in Cookeville. The open house on Saturday will run from 1pm-5pm.
