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Play, Love, Learn: Foundations for Life

Vision

Cornerstone Early Childhood Academy is a place where each child’s unique potential is nurtured through hands-on exploration, boundless imagination, and meaningful connections cultivating confident, compassionate, and curious lifelong learners with a strong sense of self that is rooted in a deep love for environment and community.

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Mission

Cornerstone will cultivate confident, capable learners by delivering a play-driven, academically rigorous, and healing-centered education that builds strong literacy and math skills, supports social-emotional growth, and affirms cultural identity. Through this approach, we will prepare children to thrive academically, develop resilience, and enter each new stage of learning equipped with the skills, confidence, and curiosity needed for long-term success.

Statement of Faith

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Our Story

Many young children, especially those from marginalized communities, enter school without the foundational literacy, numeracy, and self-regulation skills needed to succeed. Without the right support they are often misidentified for special education or left behind academically.

Cornerstone exists to disrupt this cycle by embracing play-based pedagogy, social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care as developmentally appropriate solutions. Through hands-on exploration, children build critical thinking and problem-solving skills; through SEL, they gain the emotional awareness and resilience needed to regulate behavior; and through trauma-informed practices, they experience the safety and support necessary to learn.

Why Cornerstone?

The Cornerstone educational model is built on four integrated pillars: play-driven academic learning, healing-centered classrooms, culturally sustaining curriculum, and high-impact instructional practices. Through purposeful, guided play, students develop strong literacy, mathematics, and critical thinking skills. Healing centered environments provide emotional safety, predictable routines, and trauma-informed support so children are ready to learn. Culturally sustaining teaching affirms students’ identities, languages, and lived experiences, strengthening engagement and belonging. High-impact instructional practices ensure rigorous, evidence-based teaching that prepares every child for long-term academic success.

A-Rated

by Private Schools Association

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11:1

Student Teacher Ratio

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1,000

Community Service Projects

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Leadership

Dr. Octavia Reid

Founder/Head of School

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Deborah Moore

Board, President

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Michele Mills

Board, Treasurer

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Brook Hale

Board, Vice President

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Teachers + Staff

Full Name

Full Title

Bio. This is where you give some background on this individual, list their professional experience, degrees and qualifications, and note what they love about working at your school along with a personal or family detail. Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nascetur aenean suscipit proin consequat tristique mollis vestibulum. Dictum ultricies congue morbi sem lobortis dis. Himenaeos commodo per id class enim adipiscing lorem dictum. Lacinia nostra quis aliquet finibus venenatis pulvinar mollis ullamcorper fames. Potenti libero penatibus mus interdum ad; maecenas a finibus. Magna facilisis feugiat sapien augue placerat maecenas habitasse vehicula.

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Full Name

Full Title

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Bio. This is where you give some background on this individual, list their professional experience, degrees and qualifications, and note what they love about working at your school along with a personal or family detail. Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nascetur aenean suscipit proin consequat tristique mollis vestibulum. Dictum ultricies congue morbi sem lobortis dis. Himenaeos commodo per id class enim adipiscing lorem dictum. Lacinia nostra quis aliquet finibus venenatis pulvinar mollis ullamcorper fames. Potenti libero penatibus mus interdum ad; maecenas a finibus. Magna facilisis feugiat sapien augue placerat maecenas habitasse vehicula.

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Bio. This is where you give some background on this individual, list their professional experience, degrees and qualifications, and note what they love about working at your school along with a personal or family detail. Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nascetur aenean suscipit proin consequat tristique mollis vestibulum. Dictum ultricies congue morbi sem lobortis dis. Himenaeos commodo per id class enim adipiscing lorem dictum. Lacinia nostra quis aliquet finibus venenatis pulvinar mollis ullamcorper fames. Potenti libero penatibus mus interdum ad; maecenas a finibus. Magna facilisis feugiat sapien augue placerat maecenas habitasse vehicula.

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Bio. This is where you give some background on this individual, list their professional experience, degrees and qualifications, and note what they love about working at your school along with a personal or family detail. Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nascetur aenean suscipit proin consequat tristique mollis vestibulum. Dictum ultricies congue morbi sem lobortis dis. Himenaeos commodo per id class enim adipiscing lorem dictum. Lacinia nostra quis aliquet finibus venenatis pulvinar mollis ullamcorper fames. Potenti libero penatibus mus interdum ad; maecenas a finibus. Magna facilisis feugiat sapien augue placerat maecenas habitasse vehicula.

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Bio. This is where you give some background on this individual, list their professional experience, degrees and qualifications, and note what they love about working at your school along with a personal or family detail. Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nascetur aenean suscipit proin consequat tristique mollis vestibulum. Dictum ultricies congue morbi sem lobortis dis. Himenaeos commodo per id class enim adipiscing lorem dictum. Lacinia nostra quis aliquet finibus venenatis pulvinar mollis ullamcorper fames. Potenti libero penatibus mus interdum ad; maecenas a finibus. Magna facilisis feugiat sapien augue placerat maecenas habitasse vehicula.

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Play, Love, Learn: Foundations for Life

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Cornerstone Early Childhood Academy admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin and does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, admissions, employment practices, or school-administered programs.

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Dr. Octavia Reid

Dr. Octavia Reid is a seasoned educator, visionary leader, and passionate advocate for equity in early childhood education. With more than 20 years of experience in both public and charter schools, Dr. Reid has served as a classroom teacher, principal, curriculum director, and Assistant Superintendent leading transformative change across K–12 settings.Throughout her career, Dr. Reid has been dedicated to redesigning systems that have historically failed Black and brown children. She has consistently led underperforming schools to exceed academic growth expectations, earning the prestigious SOAR Award from Battelle for Kids for Sustained Outstanding Achievement in Reading and Math over four consecutive years. Her work includes overhauling reading curricula to better serve minority students, leading professional development on equity and trauma-informed care, and training educators and social workers statewide on race and education.As the Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Early Childhood Academy, Dr. Reid brings this expertise to a school model that centers play-based pedagogy, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed practices. She believes play is not just a tool for engagement but the most powerful, developmentally appropriate pathway for literacy, healing, and lifelong learning. Dr. Reid holds a Doctorate in Education from Seton Hall University and continues to lead with a deep commitment to joy, justice, and the brilliance of every child.

Deborah Moore

Deborah D. Moore is a transformational education leader with more than three decades of experience advancing school improvement, organizational effectiveness, and equitable outcomes for students and families. Her leadership career is defined by a strong record of guiding low-performing schools through sustained academic and cultural change while strengthening instructional systems and accountability structures.Ms. Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from The Ohio State University, a Master of Education in Special Education from Kent State University, and a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from John Carroll University. This foundation supports her ability to lead complex educational organizations with a balance of strategic vision, operational discipline, and deep understanding of student learning and development.Throughout her career, Ms. Moore has served in senior leadership roles at both the school and system levels, overseeing school turnaround initiatives, staff development, performance improvement, and student support services. As a board president, she brings a mission-driven, results-oriented approach to governance, emphasizing strong leadership, collaboration, and long-term organizational sustainability.

Michele Mills

Michele Mills is a highly respected financial leader with more than 40 years of experience across both the public and private sectors. She served as Chief Financial Officer for Beachwood City Schools for over 34 years, where her fiscal stewardship earned multiple perfect audit awards and led the district to an elite Aaa bond rating, one of only six public school districts in Ohio. Her career also includes service as Finance Director for the Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities, where she guided the agency from audit findings to full recovery following a fraud case, as well as private-sector leadership roles with Clevite Industries and Union Commerce Bank. She holds an MBA from Baldwin Wallace University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from The University of Akron.Driven by a deep commitment to education, Michele dedicated her career to building stable, accountable financial systems that support all students. Known for her integrity, collaborative leadership, and creative problem-solving, she is widely respected by peers and colleagues. Since retiring in 2023, she has remained actively engaged in service, including leadership with the Ohio Association of School Business Officials, social justice work through the National Council of Jewish Women, and volunteer service with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Shaker Lakes. Her enduring dedication to students is reflected in the creation of the Bison Fund, established to support expanded and enriching opportunities for learners.

Brook Hale

Brook Hale is a relationship development and nonprofit professional with experience in fundraising, community engagement, and international business development. She currently serves as Philanthropic Advisor for Corporate Relations at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where she builds strategic partnerships, secures major gifts and sponsorships, and expands the museum’s impact for families and students across Northeast Ohio. Previously, Brook lived in the United Arab Emirates, where she co-founded the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra in Abu Dhabi, leading development, donor cultivation, marketing, event management, and cross-sector collaboration with government ministries.Brook brings her strengths in relationship-building and mission-driven strategy to the Cornerstone Early Childhood Academy Board, where she is committed to advancing literacy, creativity, and meaningful opportunities for every child. She lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with her two children.