FAQs

Olive Tree Early Learning Academy is a place for children across the socio-economic spectrum. Please email Mandy, our Director of Family & Community Engagement for information regarding discounted tuition rates for low-income families. Olive Tree does accept childcare certificates.

Olive Tree is located on a beautiful 16 acre property with a 2-acre pond and a 10,000 square foot building. The address is 5311 McKamey Road, Knoxville, TN 37921.

Our newly renovated property features:

• All new flooring, exterior/interior paint, hardware, lighting, cabinetry, and bathroom fixtures
• All new camera, security, access control, and fire alarm systems
• All new 1.5 acre all natural playscape including outdoor classroom
• All new commercial kitchen
• All new furnishings throughout
• All new main entrance with canopy for drop-off
• All new paved main parking lot and widened driveway

Olive Tree will utilize Conscious Discipline along with Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum® and its suite of tools, including ReadyRosie®.

Conscious Discipline is trauma informed and research based. In a study published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and funded by The Wallace Foundation, Conscious Discipline was found to be one of only three social and emotional learning programs that focuses 75% or more of its content on Emotion/Behavior Regulation and Emotion Knowledge/Expression, and one of only 13 programs that focuses 50% or more its content on Interpersonal Skills. Conscious Discipline received high ratings in 8 of 10 categories.

Creative Curriculum is aligned to TDOE’s Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS) and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. It is an extremely well regarded evidence-based curriculum with decades of research behind it.

Olive Tree will measure developmental progress utilizing GOLD® observation assessments. These assessments are aligned with Creative Curriculum, research-based, validated, and shown to be effective by extensive independent research. GOLD’s observation-based daily assessments measure 38 learning objectives across 10 areas of development. See the full list below.

• Social-Emotional
  1. Regulates own emotions and behaviors
  2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships
  3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations
• Physical
  4. Demonstrates traveling skills
  5. Demonstrates balancing skills
  6. Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
  7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination
• Language
  8. Listens to and understands increasingly complex language
  9. Uses language to express thoughts and needs
  10. Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills
• Cognitive
  11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning
  12. Remembers and connects experiences
  13. Uses classification skills
  14. Uses symbols and images to represent something not present
• Literacy
  15. Demonstrates phonological awareness, phonics skills, and word recognition
  16. Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
  17. Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
  18. Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
  19. Demonstrates writing skills
• Mathematics
  20. Uses number concepts and operations
  21. Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes
  22. Compares and Measures
  23. Demonstrates knowledge of patterns
• Science & Technology
  24. Uses scientific inquiry skills
  25. Demonstrates knowledge of the characteristics of living things
  26. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials
  27. Demonstrates knowledge of Earth’s environment
  28. Uses tools and other technology to perform tasks
• Social Studies
  29. Demonstrates knowledge about self
  30. Shows basic understanding of people and how they live
  31. Explores change related to familiar people or places
  32. Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge
• The Arts
  33. Explores the visual arts
  34. Explores musical concepts and expression
  35. Explores dance and movement concepts
  36. Explores drama through actions and language
• English Language Acquisition
  37. Demonstrates progress in listening to and understanding English
  38. Demonstrates progress in speaking English

These assessments not only produce meaningful outcomes to track developmental and education progress for children, but also provides teachers the information they need to make decisions in real time as they modify and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of each individual learner.

One of the greatest assets of Olive Tree Early Learning Academy is the beautiful 16 acre property it is located on. There is a new 1.5 acre natural play space, an outdoor classroom, a garden, fields, and woods. This provides a rich opportunity for regular outdoor learning opportunities for children 6 weeks to 5 years old.

In addition, children ages 3 to 5 years old will have up to 3 annual offsite learning expeditions.

* At this time Olive Tree is not able to provide transportation for offsite learning expeditions.

Olive Tree is licensed through the Department of Human Services (DHS). Olive Tree is licensed for 60+ children 6 weeks to 5 years old. DHS has a 3-star rating scale for licensed early education centers. Olive Tree is seeking a 3-star rating, but is not eligible until October 2024.

Olive Tree is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit early education center that was launched by The Restoration House in September of 2023 to address the critical need for high-quality trauma-responsive early education for low & middle income families in our community.

This allows Olive Tree to keep its tuition low while also setting special rates for lower-income families. Olive Tree is able to maintain its quality through the generosity of others in the community. If you or others would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Olive Tree please click here.