Our mission
To provide exceptional care and meaningful early learning in a safe, nurturing, joyful environment where every child is respected, supported, and encouraged to grow with confidence and curiosity.
Our vision
To be one of Melbourne's most trusted early learning schools, building on more than 30 years of service to local families while continually raising the quality of our teachers, educational program, and learning environment. We want children to leave Jelly Bean Junction confident, curious, kind, increasingly independent, and well prepared for the next stage of their education.
More than 30 years in Melbourne
Jelly Bean Junction has been in Melbourne long enough that families who attended here as children are now enrolling their own. One of our teachers has been here since the school opened more than 30 years ago. Another has been with us more than 20 years.
That continuity is the thing no competitor can copy. Young children benefit from the institutional knowledge, stable relationships, and settled routines that come from a school where people stay.
From the owner, Eric Kuang
I came into early childhood education in 2017, after a career in technology, telecommunications, business, and entrepreneurship. I hold a PhD in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. But the more important path into education came from being a parent. Raising my children made me think seriously about what helps a child become curious, confident, independent, and willing to pursue their own way.
As my children grew up and began leaving for college, I wanted the next chapter of my career to put some of that into practice in a way that would have a direct and lasting impact on children and families. I acquired Sunset Academy in Colorado in 2017, and Jelly Bean Junction in 2021.
Each time, I made the teachers the same commitment: we should strive to pay excellent teachers at the top of the local market for comparable positions. Only high quality teachers can provide high quality childcare. A school cannot consistently deliver exceptional care and meaningful learning unless it first attracts, develops, respects, and keeps excellent educators.
Jelly Bean Junction appealed to me because it already had more than 30 years of history in Melbourne. Today we are seeing former students return as parents with children of their own. My goal is to protect that legacy while continuing to invest in the people, curriculum, facilities, and systems that will make this a better school for the next generation.
Eric's role is ownership and management rather than classroom teaching.
Our team
Our leadership team runs the school alongside our teachers. We haveapproximately 26 staff members, and our classroom staff are referred to collectively as our teachers.
Training and screening
Our staff meet Florida's required childcare training and background screening requirements, including fingerprinting and applicable law enforcement screening. We maintain pediatric CPR and First Aid coverage as required by Florida childcare licensing standards whenever children are in care. Teachers with more than one year at Jelly Bean Junction are eligible for our scholarship program to earn the Florida Child Care Professional Credential, and several have already used it.
APPLE Accredited and Florida Gold Seal Quality Care
APPLE Accreditation is a voluntary process that includes self-study, documentation review, and a verification visit against recognized standards for high quality early care and education. Florida's Gold Seal Quality Care designation recognizes childcare providers that hold a qualifying accreditation and meet additional state requirements.
- APPLE Accredited
- Florida Gold Seal Quality Care
- Ages 6 weeks to 12 years
- Meals included
Inclusion
We work with families to accommodate food allergies, medical needs, disabilities, and developmental differences, considering each child individually. We are committed to inclusion and equal access and comply with applicable law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accommodation decisions are based on an individualized assessment rather than a diagnosis or a generalized assumption.
For developmental needs, we work with families and, with parental authorization, may coordinate with healthcare providers, therapists, and early intervention specialists. We can also help families connect with programs such as Early Steps or Child Find when that is appropriate.
Come see the school
The best way to understand Jelly Bean Junction is to walk through it. Tour the classrooms, meet our team, and ask us anything.
