Meet The Owners: The Amherst Preschool

 is all about connection, whether it be with nature or with one another.

Owner and director Ellen Grudzien has been in the field for over 20 years and in the preschool setting for about 10 years. She worked as a preschool teacher at another school in Amherst before venturing out on her own.

Grudzien wanted to open her own school and found the perfect fit within the Christ's Church of Amherst. She loved the natural area surrounding the church, but it was not zoned for a business.

She decided to go for it and went before the Zoning Board of Adjustment to get an exception for her business. After what she calls "the most nerve-wracking two hours," the board approved her preschool and it opened its doors in September 2009.

Now the preschool continues to offer developmental preschool programs for children ages three and four, with a focus on "educating the whole child, their spirit, mind and body."

We talked to Grudzien about owning her own preschool and how it stands out in the town.

Patch: Why start a preschool?

Ellen: What I saw in Amherst was a missed opportunity, a missing link. In town there was some real niches in preschools because there was a real big one or academic one, but people were not finding the right fit for their child. We needed a small preschool that was nature-based and when I found this particular space I knew it would fit that need. It was small, so the relationships I can have with the families and these kids is pretty amazing. Also being I get to be the director, the owner and the teacher because it is small. We have about 56 kids enrolled, but the most we have at any time is around 20.

Patch: What makes your school special?

Ellen: The staff here is incredibly dedicated to the relationship piece of building confidence in young children, which we hope they take along their educational journey. Every kid that walks through those doors is extremely happy to be here. Other preschools are bigger or chaotic and that doesn't work for everybody, what sets us apart is really the size and the family we have established here. Parents feel very comfortable talking to us, bringing issues to us and asking questions on development. We are really in touch with them because we see them on a daily basis. It is easy to do that here, when you get bigger it is more difficult.

Patch: What is the most rewarding aspect of owning a preschool?

Ellen: It is definitely the relationships with the family. You take the kids in and you don't know the people, then for two years they are here with me. I get really attached to families and then the children's siblings come too. There is one mom that has had all her kids at the preschool for a total of 10 years. I think the other piece is that I get to make the choices based upon what the needs of the kids are. I don't have to worry about an administration or a board making choices. I am so in touch with everybody and I really feel like I have a good angle on what everybody needs.

Patch: What are the challenges?

Ellen: You have a really big commitment on your hands and you have families that rely on you on a daily basis. When I was a teacher there was somebody telling me what to do, but now I am managing a staff, a classroom and a business. What I hold most important is that these families rely on us on a daily basis. We need to be here, we need to be happy and we need to have everything organized. That can be a challenge and keeps us very busy.

Patch: What is a defining moment in your job?

Ellen: It is a bittersweet day, but I would say the day when our students graduate. The families come in, we put on a slideshow, the parents are all crying and that is our goal. The kids have a confidence, an owership of this school. It is a culmination of the year and all that hard work that is put into it. You suddenly realize how important that is to people, because on a daily basis that can get lost when you are doing the maintenance piece of it. You can just stand there and watch these kids and realize how important it is to them.