‘We celebrate differences’: Boca’s new private school plans to grow

Five-year-old Jamari Cadestin said he looks forward to Mondays so he can go to school at The Fuller Academy, the new private elementary school that recently opened at the Fuller Center’s West Campus at 10130 185th St. S in Boca Raton.

“I love the fact that the principal and my son’s teacher always stay in contact with me and allow me to stay in the loop when it comes to my son’s education,” said Sumaya Hossain, Jamari’s mother, who lives in Boca Raton. “My son enjoys coming to school. Adults dread when Monday comes, not my son. He is truly astonished when Mondays come, just so he can go to school.”

The Fuller Academy, a Choice school, offers kindergarten through third grade and follows Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) standards and practices. The tuition is $8,500 annually, with Step Up scholarships available, according to Fuller Center CEO Ellyn Okrent.

The Fuller Center’s purpose is to make a positive difference for children who come from economically challenged backgrounds, offering early childhood education for children 6 weeks to 5 years old and after-school, summer camp and out-of-school programs.

“It is being run by very excited, passionate people who are creative and believe in holistic education, and learning is not only one way. It can be very creative because it’s small and can be individualized and not every child learns the same way. We can meet the needs of every child and really understand where they are and can take them to their limit,” Okrent said.

Currently, there are 15 students in The Fuller Academy and enrollment is ongoing, she said.

One of the aspects that Hossain likes about the program is that her son gets individualized attention, she said.

“Their program differs from other programs by actually caring about the children they have in their school program, taking the child’s education to heart, and actually spending one-on-one time with a child individually,” Hossain said.

The curriculum at the Fuller Academy is more knowledge-based rather than skills-based, according to Lonni Farina, director of school-age children at The Fuller Academy.

“It’s enriched in literature that speaks to the demographic and cultural community we’re serving. The connections made outside of the classroom are made through experiences in their own lives. We’re such a small group, as we’re assessing these kids, we’re seeing a lot of different learning styles…it’s assumed if you bring a child to our program, we’ll meet their needs. It’s very much individualized,” Farina said.

“We encourage coloring outside the lines, and we celebrate differences and meeting the core standards but not taking the straight road,” she said.

Okrent also said that aside from having to meet the standards, one of the differences of their program is “there are no rules.”

“The sky is the limit. If they want to learn about nutrition or see how businesses operate, we don’t have rules. We can do what we can to embrace the whole family. We work directly with families to enhance their opportunities and support them in any way they might need support. We’re a full family support team,” she said.

There are plans to expand the program to offer fourth grade next year and fifth grade the following year, said Okrent.

Hossain, who learned about The Fuller Academy because her son attended the preschool on the east campus, said she is appreciative of the support she has received.

“Thank you, Fuller Center east and west campus, for providing Jamari with the best education ever,” she said.