The Bezos Academy, funded by Amazon.com Inc. Founder Jeff Bezos, plans to launch a new preschool in the Mesa Public Schools district, Arizona's largest public school district with about 64,000 students.
Bezos Academy launched in 2021 in Des Moines, Washington, becoming the first of 30 schools in five states. The Des Moines school serves approximately 120 kids ages 3 and 4 who live in low-income neighborhoods.
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Supporting Underserved Communities
Mesa Public Schools representatives met with the Bezos Academy team after learning the nonprofit wanted to expand its presence to Arizona to meet the needs of underserved students. The Mesa Public Schools governing board voted to allow administrators to begin negotiating the terms of a contract with the Bezos Academy, though, at the time of publication, the school has not yet been approved.
Founded in 2020, Bezos Academy offers a Montessori-inspired curriculum for students ages 3 to 5 at no cost to parents or the host school provider. It leverages available spaces to provide schools with year-round and full-day programs that help set preschoolers up for success.
It enables parents to work without worrying about considerable preschool expenses or the stress of working out childcare arrangements with friends or family members. Funded by a $2 billion commitment from Bezos in 2018, the academy is pushing aggressive expansion to provide supportive learning environments for more children.
Bezos attended a Montessori preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and supports the Montessori teaching method that encourages children to explore their interests and have some choice in their schoolwork. In interviews, Bezos has recounted the positive experiences from his Montessori schooling. The Bezos Academy also highlights other high-profile individuals who attended Montessori schools, including NBA star Steph Curry, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Google Co-Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and chef and TV personality Julia Child.
Enriching Preschoolers' Lives
The Bezos Academy typically operates three to five classroom facilities ranging from 4,000 square feet to 9,000 square feet. Mesa Public Schools' administrators located a facility that received quick approval from Bezos Academy. It offers a low student-to-teacher ratio, enrichment activities such as art and music, meals and snacks and a culture of engaged and personal learning.
The new initiative complements Mesa Public Schools' already impressive preschool programs, which include four offered at 44 different sites, scholarships for some students and access to the Head Start program for low-income families.
The Bezos Academy program will seek a license from Arizona, ensuring its compliance with regulatory standards. The academy offers admission to students living with families that fall below certain poverty thresholds and uses a lottery system to select eligible students, with a focus on unhoused children or those in foster care.
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