Building A Better Preschool: With Theodor Mikhaylov Of Mind Body Soul Children’s Society
Entrepreneur Theodor Mikhaylov created a superior alternative to the ordinary preschool. After the birth of his first child, he studied child development at a local college, and used what he learned to offer a preschool education to his two young children and others in his Brooklyn community.
In 2009 Theodor and his wife founded Little Princeton Daycare in Brooklyn, NY – but that was just a start. Later on they opened two more locations in Brooklyn and Staten island. In 2019 he partnered with childcare specialist Alina Nudelman, who consults and trains for the Department of Education. Today Theodor and Alina lead Mind Body Soul Children’s Society, which serves families in Brooklyn and beyond.
In preparation for becoming a parent, Theodor set aside time from his career to study child development at a local college, opening Little Princeton with Montessori concepts. “The main principle in Montessori is to just let children explore on their own,” he says. “I created an environment that allows them to learn by play. Whatever they do, they learn, that’s how it works.” “ It is also necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel teacher's presence too much, at the same time teacher is always there to help".
Montessori was only the beginning. Theodor says it took a couple of years to find the right balance between academics and play, but play is definitely part of the curriculum, along with an emphasis on developing leaders and creative thinkers.
“At first, my school was a 100 percent Montessori school,” explains Theodor. “But at some point, I understood it’s not allow us to accelerate child development. So then I started looking for a different approach – the (Lev) Vygotsky approach.” By incorporating other child development principles, Theodor – who worked as a physician in Russia before coming to the U.S. in 2000 – has developed a system that helps children achieve accelerated learning at a young age, preparing them for advanced learning in their school years, including graduation from gifted and talented programs. He knows his approach works, because his own children -- his first students in 2009 -- are studying at that level now.
Creating Leaders
When Theodor partnered with Alina, who has three master’s degrees in childhood education and related fields, the possibilities increased a hundredfold. Together their passion for education and expertise in behavior analysis combines to create a system that offers the best of all preschool approaches. Another reason the three schools affiliated with Mind Body And Soul Children’s Society are so effective is the low student to teacher ratio. “We have six children per one teacher
in each class,” Theodor says. They now have a total of about 200 young learners and 35 teachers, but that number is certain to multiply as Mind Body And Soul expands with nonprofit status to serve families in Brooklyn and beyond. The three educational centers have 17 classes each, ranging from Mommy And Me to Marital Arts, to Cooking and Language, as well as STEM, Music, and Ballet. One important aspect of these programs are an emphasis on leadership skills. “I want our kids to think out of the box and be leaders,” he Theodor explains. “So it ended up as a daycare that has 17 activities.” The classrooms at Mind Body Soul Facilities are studios dedicated to a variety of disciplines.
Mind Body And Soul Children’s Society was created out of a passion to create a superior alternative to the ordinary daycare. When asked how important effective education is for early child development, Theodor points to volumes of research to support his assertion that earlier schooling leads to better outcomes in the long run.
By Keith Walsh
Entrepreneur Theodor Mikhaylov created a superior alternative to the ordinary preschool. After the birth of his first child, he studied child development at a local college, and used what he learned to offer a preschool education to his two young children and others in his Brooklyn community.
In 2009 Theodor and his wife founded Little Princeton Daycare in Brooklyn, NY – but that was just a start. Later on they opened two more locations in Brooklyn and Staten island. In 2019 he partnered with childcare specialist Alina Nudelman, who consults and trains for the Department of Education. Today Theodor and Alina lead Mind Body Soul Children’s Society, which serves families in Brooklyn and beyond.
In preparation for becoming a parent, Theodor set aside time from his career to study child development at a local college, opening Little Princeton with Montessori concepts. “The main principle in Montessori is to just let children explore on their own,” he says. “I created an environment that allows them to learn by play. Whatever they do, they learn, that’s how it works.” “ It is also necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel teacher's presence too much, at the same time teacher is always there to help".
Montessori was only the beginning. Theodor says it took a couple of years to find the right balance between academics and play, but play is definitely part of the curriculum, along with an emphasis on developing leaders and creative thinkers.
“At first, my school was a 100 percent Montessori school,” explains Theodor. “But at some point, I understood it’s not allow us to accelerate child development. So then I started looking for a different approach – the (Lev) Vygotsky approach.” By incorporating other child development principles, Theodor – who worked as a physician in Russia before coming to the U.S. in 2000 – has developed a system that helps children achieve accelerated learning at a young age, preparing them for advanced learning in their school years, including graduation from gifted and talented programs. He knows his approach works, because his own children -- his first students in 2009 -- are studying at that level now.
Creating Leaders
When Theodor partnered with Alina, who has three master’s degrees in childhood education and related fields, the possibilities increased a hundredfold. Together their passion for education and expertise in behavior analysis combines to create a system that offers the best of all preschool approaches. Another reason the three schools affiliated with Mind Body And Soul Children’s Society are so effective is the low student to teacher ratio. “We have six children per one teacher
in each class,” Theodor says. They now have a total of about 200 young learners and 35 teachers, but that number is certain to multiply as Mind Body And Soul expands with nonprofit status to serve families in Brooklyn and beyond. The three educational centers have 17 classes each, ranging from Mommy And Me to Marital Arts, to Cooking and Language, as well as STEM, Music, and Ballet. One important aspect of these programs are an emphasis on leadership skills. “I want our kids to think out of the box and be leaders,” he Theodor explains. “So it ended up as a daycare that has 17 activities.” The classrooms at Mind Body Soul Facilities are studios dedicated to a variety of disciplines.
Mind Body And Soul Children’s Society was created out of a passion to create a superior alternative to the ordinary daycare. When asked how important effective education is for early child development, Theodor points to volumes of research to support his assertion that earlier schooling leads to better outcomes in the long run.
By Keith Walsh