A science- and tech–focused company that began as a single preschool in Orlando soon will grow its footprint to dozens of locations in multiple states.
Led by principals and brothers Marcello and Fabrizio Spinelli, Orlando-based Amazing Explorers Academy owns and operates a network of preschools.
The schools all follow a curriculum developed in conjunction with early childhood learning doctorates to teach young children skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM).
The company is hitting its stride, poised to nearly double in size in the coming years. Since that first school opened in Orlando five years ago, Amazing Explorers Academy has grown to 13 schools, primarily in Florida and Texas.
The firm aims to have 20-plus schools, including 16 in Orlando, in operation in the next 12 months, Spinelli told Orlando Inno, though that timeline could fluctuate due to delays in the construction sector.
Within the next two years, the company expects to grow that to 25 schools, with most of the growth coming in the Jacksonville metro, New York, North Carolina and Texas, Spinelli said.
Spinelli credits the company’s growth in the last four years not only to the future-focused STEAM curriculum, but also to the firm’s ability to update the curriculum constantly, its focus on student success, quality of the education staff and the entrepreneurial background of the Spinellis and their family.
More schools mean more jobs for the 500-person company. Each school creates 30-40 jobs, depending on its size, so Amazing Explorers Academy likely will create hundreds of jobs as it expands.
That’s just the start of the company’s future growth plans, which include ramping up to a network for 50-75 schools in the next five to seven years, Spinelli added. “The idea is to have enough schools to go public.”
While Amazing Explorers Academy is perhaps the most prominent company based in metro Orlando offering STEM-focused education to children, it’s not the only one. Another recent example is Meta Humans, a company that designed a program to teach 2nd-12th graders skill sets and critical thinking in STEAM subjects, which this fall will open its first education center at 2175 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park.
That company is exploring opening three more centers around Orlando, potentially in Lake Mary, Lake Nona or Dr. Phillips, and expanding to Tampa. The challenge for companies like Meta Humans isn’t getting children excited about science initially, which is “easy,” but keeping them engaged with science education, Education Director Shawn Carlson previously told Orlando Inno.
“Science is hard. If you’re not personally engaged with the journey, then you’re not going to put in hard work. We have to create systems that reward kids along the way. With every little improvement and insight, they get a sense of accomplishment.”
Early childhood learning centers are a $15.1 billion market in the U.S., according to Los Angeles-based industry research firm IBISWorld.
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