A strong school foundation can determine the future of a child and the type of learner they become. A.C.E. Academy—a charter school dedicated to academics, character, and entrepreneurship realized the need to support their students at the very beginning – by opening a preschool. A.C.E. Early Learners Academy will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the expansion on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 starting at 7:30 a.m., located at 7807 Caldwell Rd. Harrisburg, N.C.
Between 2024 and 2025, Charlotte added 20,731 residents, ranking as the largest numeric population gainer among all U.S. cities. In an attempt to prepare for the growth, A.C.E. Academy has invested $1.5 million by opening a new preschool complete with a full kitchen, adding two administrative offices, 12 new classrooms, along with a new and larger multipurpose room in the K-12 building, and an updated teachers’ lounge.
“When we decided to move forward with opening the preschool, we saw the gap in some of the students in our community that started school with A.C.E. Academy in Kindergarten, we noticed that there was something missing” said Laila Minott, Superintendent and Executive Director at A.C.E. Academy. “Children who have fewer high-quality early-learning opportunities can enter kindergarten with gaps in academic readiness, language development, social-emotional skills, and classroom routines. When those gaps are not addressed early, they can become more noticeable as reading, writing, and math expectations increase in elementary school.
