The Gardner School of Minnetonka
Research-Based Curriculum and On-Site Enrichment Classes
Our learning atmosphere at The Gardner School of Minnetonka includes a careful blend of traditional and Montessori educational styles, centered around curriculum-based lessons, child-directed activities, and structured play. Your child will have access to Creative Curriculum, World of Wonders Curriculum, and Learning without Tears Curriculum, in addition to a full suite of on-site, supplemental enrichment classes.
Inviting Preschool Classrooms and Spacious Indoor and Outdoor Playscapes
With our state-of-the-art preschool environment and colorful and safe play areas, students and parents will feel safe and at home from the moment they enter the doors at The Gardner School of Minnetonka. Your child will love our spacious indoor and outdoor playscapes, where we encourage structured play that promotes creativity and socialization.
Our school is conveniently located near Eden Prairie and Hopkins, with nearby access to Bryant Lake Regional Park. Stimulating, creative, and educationally focused, The Gardner School of Minnetonka has been designed to meet the needs of our most important clients—children. Enrollment is underway for our award-winning child care and preschool program in Minnetonka. With our state-of-the-art facility and colorful and safe playground environments, Minnetonka students and parents can feel at home and safe from the moment they enter our school doors. Offering year-round educational programs for full and part-time child care for six weeks old through 5 years, we provide a full suite of enrichment classes, as well as our summer camp program, Camp Gardner. With our highly-praised curriculum delivered by our degreed and highly-qualified teachers in each classroom, your child will be prepared for kindergarten and equipped to make the world a better place!
School Features
- Located less than 10 minutes from Eden Prairie and Hopkins
- Conveniently located just off I-494 and MN-62 W
- Academically-focused learning with research-based curriculum and four-year degreed lead preschool teachers
- Real-time updates through the parent communications app with photos, nap and feeding times, school announcements
- Safe and secure environment with two security checkpoints
- Inviting classrooms with large windows for natural light
- Delicious, healthy meals in the Kids’ Café
- On-site supplemental enrichment classes (sports, music and arts, computers, foreign language) in our enrichment studio and computer lab, allowing children to experience spaces outside their classroom
- Open-door policy for daily check-ins
- Spacious indoor and outdoor playscapes
- Private nursing room
Academically-focused Programs
Camp Gardner
Infants
Pre-K
Preschool
Toddlers
Twos
Kindergarten
Minnetonka Campus Leadership
Heather Larson
School Director
How long have you been with TGS?
I have been in a director role in early childhood education for over eight years. I’ve been with The Gardner School since late 2022.
Roles Served with TGS:
Director at The Gardner School of Minnetonka.
What is your educational background?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and family education from the University of Wisconsin in Stout, WI.
What made you decide to have a career in education?
I have a desire to create a village for parents, children, and teachers to feel safe, happy, and healthy. What other profession supports all three goals? We all deserve the best in education. Teachers build the foundation for so many future leaders.
What makes you laugh about kids?
EVERYTHING! You never know what can and will happen. It’s the exploring, creating, and playing—and finding the goofy in our day.
What do you love most about working with infants through the age of 5?
Creating a safe place for children to learn and grow, being a resource for parents, and encouraging my teachers to create high-quality classroom environments.
What is your favorite part of the day at TGS?
All day! We are busy and learning so many different things.
What do you love most about TGS?
I am able to hire the best candidates to create developmentally age-appropriate classrooms that allow children to become well-rounded learners.
What is your fondest memory of TGS thus far?
My first coffee chat—an online open house for our parents to just chat, discuss, and work together. We were all coming together to get to know one another for the first time. I was very thankful for all the parents who welcomed me.
What inspires you?
Our children, my team, and our company.
What is your passion or passions?
There are too many to list! But my primary passion is what I tell all of my students—BE KIND.
How important is early childhood education?
It is the foundation of a student’s future learning. We set the tone for his or her love of learning. It’s essential to work with parents to create a village for all to feel supported.
What would you tell new parents who are apprehensive about leaving their infant in the care of someone else for the first time?
I have been there. We will get through this together. Let us be a part of your village.
Emily Segura
Assistant Director
How long have you been with TGS?
I started with TGS in November 2022.
Roles served with TGS:
I was lucky enough to be a preschool/pre-Kindergarten teacher for a few months. Then I was offered the role of Assistant Director.
What is your educational background?
I am currently enrolled at Minnesota State Mankato to earn my B.S. in elementary education with a double minor in environmental science and geology.
What made you decide to pursue a career in education?
Both of my parents were teachers, so the apple did not fall far from the tree on that one! I always loved engaging with kiddos, setting up fun lessons for them, and even learning with them. It was a natural fit to move from my original degree plan, which was science, to education!
What makes you laugh about kids?
The way that the kiddos process information and make connections with the lesson is a really fun thing to experience. They will completely take in the material and make the most off-the-wall connection to it that can only make you chuckle a bit.
What do you love most about working with infants through the age of 5?
My favorite part about working with such young kiddos is that we are here for major life moments: first steps, that puckered face after a toddler’s first taste of a lemon, when a preschooler is finally able to ride the tricycle outside, or when our older kiddos master a math problem. These are all firsts that we are really lucky to be part of.
What is your favorite part of the day at TGS?
The best part of the day is when all of the kiddos have arrived, and you are ready to teach your lesson. The kiddos are all excited about what they are about to learn and so perceptive. That first Group Time of the day is when I get the best answers and the highest level of engagement!
What do you love most about TGS?
A learning environment that supports personal exploration and the importance of being lifelong learners with the goal of our kiddos being prepared for Kindergarten.
What is your fondest memory of TGS thus far?
My fondest memory of TGS so far is probably one of that best lessons that I taught while in my classroom. We were learning about books and how they can take us to new worlds or even back in time. We read a few books about medieval times and then dressed up in our own knight outfits and hosted a jousting tournament, complete with some red and blue tricycles. The kiddos were so into it that they were cheering each other on, and we even had a mini bracket going so that all of the matches were fair. Not only were the kids entertained, but the parents loved it also!
What inspires you?
Knowing that I am a part of each and every one of these children’s learning journeys inspires me to find new ways to teach them in engaging ways.
What is your passion or passions?
I am huge on everything science and sensory. In a perfect world, I would teach a space lesson for half of the year. My classroom always had a large sensory activity going which usually led to a large mess. Because of that, my students were very good at cleaning up!
What does the term “Where Learning Begins” mean to you?
I think that we are not only teaching children how to thrive in a classroom, but we are also showing them what it means to be lifelong learners. They should always ask questions and be excited to learn, which is exactly what we teach them at TGS.
How important is early childhood education?
It’s very important! We are setting the foundation for their educational journey and making sure it’s a happy and successful future.
What would you tell new parents who are apprehensive about leaving their infant in the care of someone else for the first time?
I completely understand any hesitancy that you may feel. Every family goes through this. Our teachers and staff here believe in open communication and partnering with you to ensure that your little one is loved, happy and safe.