Harrison resident Abbey Lombardo-Kumar aims to help families in southern Westchester transform their child’s play spaces into elegant and sophisticated learning centers with her new business Little Learners Childhood Enrichment Studio on Purchase Street in Rye.
“We are trying to create an experience for people and teach people that you can have sophistication and elegance and still have children and be appropriate and accessible for children too,” Lombardo-Kumar said.
Little learners offers pre-school classes that go hand in hand with a “design to learn” philosophy, which focuses on bringing the positive learning environment that kids experience at the studio to the child’s home.
The space on Purchase street will be set up like a boutique and offer custom products including games, toys, art materials, children’s accessories, storage equipment, furniture and more.
“As a teacher I have always been asked, how can I bring the classroom home," Lombardo-Kumaraims said. Little Learners helps to do that by offering home consultations where specialists will evaluate child play spaces and learning styles at home.
Lombardo-Kumar has worked in early childhood education for 10 years as a teacher, program coordinator and preschool director in Bronxville. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Educational Studies with a special concentration in Early Childhood Education and Leadership from Manhattanville College and a New York State Teaching Certification (Birth-Grade 2).
“Six months ago I decided I wanted to branch out on my own and fulfill this dream of having an enrichment center,” Lombardo-Kumaraims said.
She said her center will differ from others because of its focus on Design to Learn and creating elegance in child education.
“To create that sophisticated space you need to take the time to make a connection with the family and child and create a space that reflects child’s individual learning needs and what family has to work with ,” Lombardo-Kumaraims explained.
Little Learners will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where there will be registration incentives, gift bags and give aways. Mayor Doug French will be there for the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Little Learners Studio is located at 15 Purchase Street, Suite 5.
To read more about Little learners visit littlelearnersstudio.com.
