Our Mission, Your Community: Hearts & Minds Daycare

I didn't start Hearts & Minds Daycare because of one dramatic moment or a single story that changed everything.

I started it because of thirteen years in the classroom, watching the same patterns repeat. Because of moments as a parent when my gut told me something wasn't right. Because I grew up in this community, taught in this community, and I know we can do better for our kids.

Not better in a way that sets us apart from everyone else. Better in a way that invites others to come along.

The Gap I Kept Seeing

I spent over thirteen years as a teacher, most of that time in kindergarten, first, and second grade classrooms. I also taught third through fifth grade. And what I saw, year after year, was disheartening.

Students came into kindergarten, or first grade, without the foundation they needed. They knew their letters. They knew most of the sounds. But there was a disconnect. They weren't using that knowledge to decode words. It wasn't automatic. There was guessing. Struggling. A lack of fluency that made everything harder than it needed to be.

By third grade? That gap had widened into an expanse that was just too far for any one teacher, any one program, the student, or the parents themselves to close on their own.

Can students catch up? Of course. Is it possible to narrow or even close those achievement gaps? Absolutely. But what I know to be true, what I saw proven again and again, is that a strong foundation early on is the best way to get our kids on the right path.

Watching students struggle to read, to write, to do basic arithmetic, not because they weren't capable, but because they hadn't gotten what they needed in those critical early years... it's hard to see.

And I realized: we don't have to wait until kindergarten to start closing gaps. We can start in the early childhood classroom. With simple, embedded practices. With intentionality. With partnership.

That's why I became a literacy specialist. And eventually, that's why I decided to open Hearts & Minds.

What I Learned as a Parent

I was fortunate. I had family support when my kids were young, so I didn't have to navigate full-time childcare right away. When I did look for programs, I was able to bring my children with me and watch how they reacted, and honestly, I had to trust their instincts a few times and walk away.

There was one center where I went to pick up my son. He was two or three at the time, and I overheard a teacher in another classroom raising her voice at the children. It made me deeply uncomfortable. I made a complaint. And I removed my child from that program.

That experience taught me something I carry with me every single day at Hearts & Minds: it is incredibly hard to leave your child in someone else's care. And parents deserve transparency, communication, and the reassurance that their child is not just safe but truly seen, cared for, and happy.

Safety is number one. But so is empathy. So is that gut feeling a parent gets when they walk in and see their child light up or shut down.

I want every parent who walks through our doors to feel that their child is happy here. That their child feels safe here. And that we are partners in this.

Why Jamaica, Queens

I love this community. I grew up in Queens, Brooklyn in my early years, then Springfield Gardens as a teenager. Jamaica Avenue, the movie theater, the buses and trains at Jamaica-Parsons... these were my landmarks. This is where I went to and from school, to work, where I navigated life as a young person finding my way.

A large part of my time as an educator was spent in a school in District 28. And one of the things I love most about Jamaica is how much we show up for each other. There are so many organizations here working to build up families, to strengthen the community, to make things better.

Since we opened, I've been contacted by our councilwoman, our community board, our community affairs officer. I've met so many of these people face-to-face, and the support has been overwhelming. They're happy about the work we're doing. They're willing to help however they can.

I've always been on a mission to help families, to help students, to leave the world a little better than I found it. And in Jamaica, Queens, I've found a community full of people who share that vision.

Hearts & Minds isn't just in this community. It's of this community.

What We're Doing Differently

At Hearts & Minds, early literacy instruction is embedded into every part of our day: circle time, center time, conversations, play.

Oral language is one of the cornerstones of literacy. Having real conversations with children is one of the most powerful ways to build comprehension skills before they ever start reading.

We teach the alphabet in fun, engaging ways. We design center time so it feels like play, but it's all intentional learning. And we use research-backed curricula like Heggerty and Sounds Sensible, which are grounded in the science of reading but tailored for preschool and early preschool children.

We're not just hoping skills emerge naturally. We're being deliberate about how we build them through play, through structure, through evidence-based practice.

And it's not just academics. We focus just as much on social-emotional development: empathy, self-regulation, communication, care for others. Because a child who can navigate frustration, advocate for themselves, and show kindness will succeed in ways that go far beyond a report card.

An Invitation, To Parents and Providers Alike

If you're a parent reading this, I know how hard this decision is. Choosing who will care for your child is one of the most vulnerable, high-stakes choices you'll ever make.

I don't take that lightly.

Hearts & Minds isn't for everyone, and that's okay. But if you're looking for a place where your child will be known, where learning is intentional, where you'll be treated as a partner, and where communication and transparency aren't just buzzwords... we might be the right fit.

And if you're an early childhood provider or director reading this, I want to say: we can do more. And we need to do more.

Doing more doesn't mean spending money we don't have. It means being more intentional in our practices. More informed about what's happening in early childhood education. More deliberate about how we curate conversations, experiences, and learning opportunities for the children in our care.

Children learn through play. They learn through speech. They learn through every interaction. Anytime we're in front of a child, anytime we're planning our week, we have an opportunity to be intentional about helping them grow into lifelong learners.

I'm not trying to stand apart. I'm trying to raise the bar, and I hope you'll join me.

What I Hope Our Kids Carry Forward

When I imagine a child who spends their early years at Hearts & Minds heading off to kindergarten, I see someone who is academically prepared, yes. But also someone who is kind. Empathetic. Emotionally regulated. Curious.

We are part of these children coming into personhood. And we take that seriously.

I hope they carry a love of learning. A sense of care for themselves, for others, for the people they encounter. I hope they become role models in their classrooms, spreading that empathy and curiosity wherever they go.

I hope they help make this community, an even better place than it already is.

Renee Warner Gervais, M.S.Ed.

Founder & Director, Hearts & Minds Daycare

Jamaica, Queens