Our Difference
Our Story
Hands on Learning Center has been a staple in the village of Royal Palm Beach for almost 30 years. It was started in 1997 by Ligia Christian, a Colombian American teacher who holds a degree in Child Psychology.
As a mom of two small children, Ligia was looking for a way to have her children close to her while at the same time, making sure they received an excellent educational foundation which would prepare them for a life of learning. After looking around but not finding what she was looking for, she decided to start her own preschool in the Village of Royal Palm Beach.
It all began as a very small center in the Winn Dixie plaza with a part-time morning program and a part-time after school program. But by 2002, we had grown too large for the premises, so we moved to our new larger home on Okeechobee Blvd and we have been here for over 21 years!
What Makes Us Special?
Hands on Learning Center serves a diverse population of various racial, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. Our center houses various lifestyles, experiences, interests, and ethnicities, including Caucasian, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, and Hispanic backgrounds.
In an industry notorious for high staff turnover, Hands on Learning Center is proud to say that the staff and teachers here at the center have been with us for an average of 12 years. In fact several of our teachers have worked here almost 20 years! We believe this is due to our fun and relaxed working environment. The staff genuinely likes and cares for each other and are always willing to help each other.
We are very proud of the fabulous reputation that we have earned in our community. We have seen many of our students go on to have children of their own and then bring them to Hands on Learning because of their own experiences and fond memories they have of their own childhood spent here.
In addition to our strong staff retention and amazing community reputation, we also:
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Allow children to come free of charge before they start and stay for a few hours so they can become used to their new routines and learning environment.
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Provide families the opportunity prior to the first day of school to visit and become acquainted with the school and staff.
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Offer an engaging dual language program.
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Communicate and send photos of the children's fun daily activities.
As with many before you, we look forward to welcoming you and your family into our family here at Hands on Learning Center!