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The Child Development Center at CIA

Terri Mills, Director of the Child Development Center
The CDC is beautifully nestled in a pastoral setting where the students make full use of the land. Our students love to plant flowers and play in the meadow. They love to watch the bird feeders outside their windows and identify the birds they see. They take daily walks where they observe chickens and can skip rocks in beautiful Beech Creek. They plant vegetable gardens and cook what they grow. In the Fall, we have a hayride that takes parents and their children around to see the stunning change that autumn brings to our campus.  
CIA's Equine Program is located directly beside the CDC. Our children love the unique opportunity of being around the horses. The students love to watch the ferrier fit the horses with shoes. They also enjoy watching CIA students ride the horses. Some of our older children enjoy lessons about the horses out at the barn.

The CDC loves to be part of activities at CIA. Some of the activities that we enjoy are bandfest, John Rivers Ingram Day, and participating in the canned food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank. Our grandparents get involved with CIA's annual Grandparents Day. We even had one of our Pre-K students perform in CIA's Spring Play Seussical. Sometimes CIA students will come to visit the CDC to learn about early childhood development for babysitting classes or sometimes for beautification projects. The students will join together in planting flowers or doing projects around the farmhouse.  Our students enjoy the "big kids."

In September of 2012, the CDC launched their first Pre-K specific program. The Pre-K is currently housed in the Jan Carell Field House due to shortage of space in the farmhouse. This program is designed to prepare students for their kindergarten year. These students still enjoy a balance of curriculum activities and learning from the outdoor setting.  

The CDC serves students from 6 weeks of age through 5 years of age. We are licensed by the Tennessee Department of Education. Our student-to-teacher ratio is small.  We stay below the state required student-to-teacher ratio. Currently, the CDC has 32 students enrolled, and we have a waiting list. The space we have is wonderful, but becoming a bit crowded. 

As the CDC continues to grow, we are looking to launch a campaign to raise money for more space. We would love to add more buildings to this beautiful property and more students to enjoy this beautiful and truly unique setting. 

As we grow we look for more and more ways to become part of CIA and upholding their mission of "providing an environment rich in opportunities" and "establishing partnerships with families and sharing resources with parents, educators and professionals beyond the school." Early childhood education is very important. The CDC is committed to CIA's mission of "inspiring lifelong learners who enjoy a quality of life that is educationally rewarding and personally fulfilling."
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Currey Ingram Academy is an exemplary JK-12 day and boarding school that empowers students with learning differences to achieve their fullest potential. Since 2002, the school has been located on an 83-acre campus in Brentwood, Tennessee, just miles from Nashville and Franklin. Families from 33 states and eight countries cite the school as their primary reason for moving to Middle Tennessee.

Currey Ingram Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and AdvancEd/Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).