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LEARNING WITH EXCEPTIONAL OUTCOMES
The LEO Academy for Early Education
L
ike children, sometimes a business will
hit developmental milestones early, and
that’s exactly what happened with the
LEO Academy for Early Education. And, like
a mother, owner and director Christa Totedo
couldn’t be more proud.
A lifelong Fox Chapel local, Totedo always
had a dream of opening her own child care
facility in the area.
“This is all that I have done. I have never
had an interest in any other jobs. I started
working in child care as an assistant teacher
at the age of 16 and never looked back,” she
said.
Totedo was the director of the LEO School
in Aspinwall for nearly three years, and,
in that time, the school’s waiting list was
hamstrung by the fact that the physical space
limited it to just six students at any given
time. The LEO School was growing out of its
britches and Totedo took action.
“I decided to take over the ownership,
tweak the name and expand it,” she explains.
Today, the LEO Academy is housed in
a 7,200-square-foot learning annex in
Blawnox, complete with indoor and outdoor
play areas, creative classroom for arts and
sensory education, and an in-house library.
The LEO Academy has a strong belief in the
importance of early literacy and welcomes
a visiting librarian from the Cooper-Siegel
Community Library monthly for storytime.
“We now have a capacity of 89 children,
but, because of our belief in small class sizes,
this building will be capped at 60 enrolled
students. This will allow us to separate
the children into the smallest group sizes
possible,” Totedo said.
The LEO Academy isn’t just a Pre-K
program, it takes children from ages 6
weeks through Pre-K, and adheres to the
Pennsylvania state learning standards,
allowing it to individualize learning and
instruction for each student.
“We have a curriculum that’s designed for
all ages, including the infants,” notes Totedo.
The LEO Academy currently has three
other teachers besides Totedo on staff who
either have their bachelor’s degrees and are
certified to teach elementary education or
who are working toward a degree in the field
of early education. Everyone is certified in
CPR and has criminal background FBI and
state clearances. Students are in the best
hands possible while they are at the LEO
Academy.
And, unlike other preschool programs that
may currently have a waiting list, the LEO
Academy is actively enrolling students. Plus it
offers drop-in care for parents who may just
need a day here or there.
“A lot of other day cares put a minimum
on how many days the kids can come, but
we offer family-based or needs-based care,”
Totedo says. “If families only need two days a
week, we do that. Somewhere else, they may
be stuck paying for the other days they don’t
need care for.” Open weekdays from 6:45 a.m.
to 6 p.m., the LEO Academy also makes it easy
for parents who work to get their children to
and from preschool with plenty of time to
spare.
For more information on the LEO Academy,
or to schedule a tour to see if the school
is right for your child, go to the website
at theleoacademy.com, or call directly at
412.426.9085. It is located at 237 Sixth
Street in Blawnox, 15238. You can also find
the school on Facebook at facebook.com/
theleoacademy.
The LEO Academy will be holding an
open house on January 7 at 11 a.m. for any
and all interested families to come and
check it out. Parents who mention this
article when registering their child,
through February 28, will have the
registration fee waived.
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