THIS IS OUR STORY…

The most beautiful things are often not created for profit or for glory, but from a distinct need. This is certainly true of Building Blocks Early Learning Center. Founder and Director Regina Hieb recognized when her oldest son was just three years old that good options for early childhood education were simply not available. An avid researcher by nature, Regina was already reading about the best ways that children learn. She knew she wanted her own son and future children to be in a program with teachers who were educated on childhood development, who honored the intrinsic intelligence of the child, and who provided them with ample time, space, and materials for creative and expressive learning through play. She decided to open her home for childcare, which laid the groundwork for the school as it is today.

Throughout her education, Regina was captivated by researchers and educators like Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky. She quickly realized that what she had intuitively known as well as what she had discovered in her own research and parenting had a name: Social-Constructivism. Building Blocks has always been Reggio Emilia-inspired, with a negotiated curriculum that stems from the education philosophy of constructivism. She worked in a multitude of classroom settings, taking note along the way of what seemed to work and what didn’t work so well. Throughout her wide array of educational environments, Regina was able to land solidly on the vision she had for a preschool that would honor the child, the educators, and the family. Building Blocks Early Learning Center opened in October 2004, built on a lifelong dream and $3,000. The school filled immediately with both Head Start and private students. Regina focused the school’s small budget on knowledgeable teachers, quality materials, and ample space for children to learn from their environment. The original building was a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the heart of Charbonneau and served the needs of the children there beautifully. By 2013, the school had more than doubled in numbers and expanded to two levels of the three-story house. At that time, Building Blocks became Family Certified and grew in its capacity to accommodate preschool as well as full-day-care students. The community was thriving!

Due to constant challenges with the city and a need for further expansion, Regina decided to move Building Blocks out of the Charbonneau location. In 2015, the decision was made to go commercial. The building you now know as Building Blocks opened its doors to students in September of 2017. That year, despite a loss of indoor space, the preschool doubled its numbers, grew its staff, and continued to thrive and grow, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. In the fall of 2018 Building Blocks added a 2’s program and expanded its capacity to include after-care for local elementary school students. Since that time the school has added a second wing, providing a wonderful addition of indoor space, and has doubled its number of students yet again. It appears that there is no limit to what the universe has in store for this thriving and transformative preschool. As Regina Hieb likes to say “I strongly believe that our school was built on one miracle after another.”