LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Construction is moving along on several Bezos Academies in the Louisville region, a network of tuition-free Montessori preschools serving under-resourced communities. 

What You Need To Know

  • Four new Bezos Academy locations are coming to Louisville 

  • The schools offer 3-, 4- and 5-year-old Montessori programs

  • The Okolona location is finished construction; applications are open through Friday, May 2

  • The Fairdale and Russell locations are also accepting applications 

Though there’s no activity outside the Bezos Academy Louisville-Okolona, excitement is slowly starting to fill the air inside the soon-to-be-open school. 

“This is a big win for the community,” said Lisa Dischinger, chair of the LDG Foundation and Rita June Foundation. “This is a big win for us. It’s a big win for our families that are in our units and for the surrounding communities.”

The academies, which have the namesake of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, are being built in states around the country. Anyone can apply at no cost through a lottery system.

It’s a reverse-income process; those experiencing homelessness get first priority, followed by those in foster care. The schools offer 3-, 4- and 5-year-old Montessori programs. 

“It’s a great way to learn,” Dischinger said. “It brings order to a lot of kids that don’t have order at home. That’s what it did for us.”

Inside the Okolona location, classrooms have high ceilings with skylights, granite countertops and hands-on activities. Each classroom has bathroom access, along with a kitchen and furniture. 

All of it ensures high-quality learning, Dischinger said. 

“It is an incredible program,” Dischinger said. “My kids went to Montessori. When we went to check it out ... it’s just like [what] my kids had when they were growing up.”

Three of the academies are adjacent to LDG Development properties. The Okolona school is finished, and Dischinger said the Russell location is almost done.

Construction has started on the third school. The schools, each of which have 80 spots, will serve the whole community. LDG is building the schools while Bezos Academy will run them.

“The hope is that it gives families an opportunity to enroll their kids in year-round preschool,” Dischinger said. “It helps with an economic impact on that family because we all know preschool is very expensive, so if they get the opportunity to do that free-of-charge, we’re hoping that will help with evictions. It will help people with stability in housing. We hope that it will change these kids’ lives going forward.” 

Hundreds of families have applied to the Okolona and Russell locations, Dischinger said. A fourth location in the Riverport area is also expected to open. 

“It goes to show you that we are very, very short on resources for preschoolers; just finding a school that is a high-quality education for preschoolers is tough,” Dischinger said.

Roland O’Daniel, CEO of the educational nonprofit Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, said Jefferson County and Kentucky as a whole have a need for more resources for preschoolers and for high-quality preschool education. 

“The more we can help students to be ready to be successful and enjoy school, the better we have on the learning outcomes that come later,” O’Daniel said.

He praised the Bezos Academy in two key areas. 

“Putting them in places where the programming is needed, in some of those preschool deserts in Jefferson County, but also providing the kind of programming that is so critical for students,” O’Daniel said.

Applications are accepted now through May 2, Dischinger said. 

“It’s life-changing,” Dischinger said.

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