About Us

Meet Keisha Medina, Our Center Director

At Little Bear Academy Since: 2023

Favorite Children’s Book: No, David!

Hi, I’m Keisha Medina, owner and director of Little Bear Academy in Portsmouth, VA. I’ve had a passion for teaching since high school. After several years of life experiences, I finally decided to come back to my passion and teach little minds. I am first aid/CPR certified. I am also a mom to 3 little bear cubs of my own.

Our Program

Little Bear Academy boasts an innovative home-based preschool program. Our Preschool program will transition your two, three, four, or five year old from toddlerhood to school readiness. Trained teachers will assist your preschooler with lessons that support self-help and friendship skills. Your child will be introduced to literacy, math, science, and social studies with focused activities that call attention to letters and numbers. The day begins with a morning meeting where students will sing songs and review the schedule for the day. During facilitated learning centers, your child will be guided with inquiry-based learning techniques so that he or she not only understands the questions, but also learns how to find the answers. Our social and emotional learning time will prepare your child to negotiate the larger group and class sizes later experienced in the kindergarten classroom by developing self-regulation techniques, gaining emotional knowledge and practicing conflict resolution.

Through the utilization of classroom jobs, each child is taught responsibility, independence and a sense of community at their developmental stage. The diverse learning centers we have available encourage each child to cultivate their individual interests.

At Little Bear Academy We Have Six Key Values:

CREATIVITY

Creativity is self-expression others can experience.

KINDNESS

The world needs more kindness.

PATIENCE

Managing life requires patience.

EMPATHY

Empathy helps to understand what others are experiencing.

LOVE OF LEARNING

Learning should be fun.

NATURE

Nature nurtures the mind and the heart.

With a small class size, a focus on social-emotional development, a kinship with nature, and a love for learning, we help children build strong relationships and develop important life skills as they learn their part in the world around them.

Admission

Are you ready to join the Little Bear family? The application process is simple. To start, just fill out the application form with your contact information and a good time to conduct a phone interview. Once you submit the application, our staff will confirm the scheduled phone interview. Please set aside about 15 minutes for this call to answer some basic questions about your child care needs. At the end of the phone interview, we will schedule an in-person interview at Little Bear Academy, where you and your child can explore the location and the provider can review the policy handbook. Within two weeks of the in-person interview, you will receive an email from Little Bear Academy offering your family

Tuition

A tuition of $250 per week is due every week of the year
Payment is due by close of business Friday for the following week’s care
Late fees will incur for late payments and late pickups

placement into the program, informing you that our program might not be the best fit for your family, or informing you that your family has been placed on the waiting list. Should you accept the offer,simply submit the necessary forms and tuition fees and your child is ready to embark on their LittleBear Academy adventure!

We serve a hot, homemade breakfast and lunch daily
The afternoon snack is served after nap-time
A high nutritional standard is used for all food prepared
Milk, fruits, sources of protein and vegetables are components of each daily menu
Meals at Little Bear Academy, are served in a family style setting
Children assist with setting the table and clearing the table at the end of the meal
Teachers sit and eat with students and encourage table conversation
This style of dining teaches good manners, decision-making and fine motor skills development

Nutrition and Meals

Nutritious meals are served in a family style setting to develop manners and an interest in eating healthy.

Health

Each morning, a health assessment is made of every child
To prevent any diseases from spreading, we continue to monitor for symptoms during the day and notify parents when a child is too ill to stay at school

Cleanliness

All toys and surfaces are disinfected on a scheduled basis
Teachers undergo training procedures in diaper changing and food preparation
The classroom is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized nightly
Handwashing is mandated for staff and children several times throughout the day

Safety and Security

Secure doors and entrances
- Our preschool is equipped with an electronic access entry system that allows only authorized individuals to enter
- Access Codes are changed often and are time sensitive

Visitor precautions
- Photo identification is required from all unfamiliar visitors
- No child will be released to any unknown person without written authorization and proper identification
Background checks
- All employees are thoroughly screened and undergo criminal background checks and Federal database fingerprinting before they can be employed by our preschool.
- Little Bear Academy have emergency preparedness plans in place for severe weather, fire, lock-down conditions or other disaster situations and an emergency evacuation plan is in place.
- Monthly drills are held to ensure staff and children can calmly and quickly follow procedures.
Safe playgrounds
- Little Bear Academy schools have high-quality playground equipment that is safe and kid tested
- All fall zones and landing areas have areas with licensing-approved levels of soft surfaces
Security cameras
- The entrance area, classroom, and playground area are all equipped with closed-circuit security cameras that continuously record for safety.