Preschool 4 The Arts
Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy - Encanto/San Diego, 6785 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92114
About
Preschool 4 The Arts is a program of Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy that includes music education classes, dance education classes, a marching band program, and creative dance. Children in the program also take part in role-playing, storytelling, and group discussions. Older students connected to the academy have access to college prep sessions and HBCU band audition prep.
• Ages: 0–5 years old
• Price: Free, high-quality music, dance, and state-subsidized childcare programs; dedicated to providing free childcare services to all families within the academy; subsidized-to-free state-funded child care
The Preschool 4 The Arts program blends education and artistic expression through early childhood development and offers early exposure to music, performing arts, and creative expression. Its social and emotional curriculum focuses on emotional regulation, empathy, social interaction, and self-awareness, using age-appropriate activities like role-playing, storytelling, and group discussions. The creative dance curriculum incorporates playful activities, rhythmic games, and age-appropriate choreography.
At Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy's Preschool 4 The Arts, the stated mission is to ensure that every child, irrespective of their family's income, receives a solid foundation as they embark on their elementary school journey. The broader academy mission states that it is dedicated to closing the gap in traditional education by providing at-risk and underprivileged youth with transformative opportunities in music and dance education, rooted in the rich tradition of HBCU culture. Programs are rooted in HBCU culture, and students have participated in nationally televised parades, television commercials, and network shows, and dancers have had the opportunity to train and dance with Debbie Allen in her annual holiday live show, The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.
Renu Hope Foundation, established in 1998, is the cornerstone funding partner of the Preschool 4 The Arts program and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Renu Hope Foundation provides funding from the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and General Childcare and Development (CCTR) programs to support access to early childhood education and care for communities in two counties and four cities.
The leadership team connected to this program includes Tyra Hawthorne (CEO), Hannah Tolksdorf (Divisional Director of Business Operations), Brooke Evans (Divisional Director of Human Resources), and Alisha Smith-Guardado (Divisional Director of Early Childhood Education and Compliance). Regional and site leadership includes Mr. Keyshawn Higgs (Regional Operations Manager: San Diego County), Imani Ramsingh (Regional Operations Manager: Riverside County), Brieanna Gibson Diaz (Site Supervisor Encanto), Jadon Moten (Site Supervisor Escondido), and Cecilia Montoya (Site Supervisor Perris).
Parent testimonials describe Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy as a place where children in Preschool 4 The Arts show growth in their abilities in a short time and where parents feel fortunate to send their children. One parent notes that both their daughter and her classmates are learning at a rapid pace and that the founder is an inspiration. Another parent of two toddlers reports that their daughter is thriving in language development, is learning to manage her emotions, and plays drums daily, and that their son, who may be on the spectrum, is handled with care and patience. CEO Tyra Hawthorne summarizes the academy’s view of arts education by stating, “Music is Math. Music is reading. Music is comprehension.”
Last updated July 8, 2026.
• Ages: 0–5 years old
• Price: Free, high-quality music, dance, and state-subsidized childcare programs; dedicated to providing free childcare services to all families within the academy; subsidized-to-free state-funded child care
The Preschool 4 The Arts program blends education and artistic expression through early childhood development and offers early exposure to music, performing arts, and creative expression. Its social and emotional curriculum focuses on emotional regulation, empathy, social interaction, and self-awareness, using age-appropriate activities like role-playing, storytelling, and group discussions. The creative dance curriculum incorporates playful activities, rhythmic games, and age-appropriate choreography.
At Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy's Preschool 4 The Arts, the stated mission is to ensure that every child, irrespective of their family's income, receives a solid foundation as they embark on their elementary school journey. The broader academy mission states that it is dedicated to closing the gap in traditional education by providing at-risk and underprivileged youth with transformative opportunities in music and dance education, rooted in the rich tradition of HBCU culture. Programs are rooted in HBCU culture, and students have participated in nationally televised parades, television commercials, and network shows, and dancers have had the opportunity to train and dance with Debbie Allen in her annual holiday live show, The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.
Renu Hope Foundation, established in 1998, is the cornerstone funding partner of the Preschool 4 The Arts program and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Renu Hope Foundation provides funding from the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and General Childcare and Development (CCTR) programs to support access to early childhood education and care for communities in two counties and four cities.
The leadership team connected to this program includes Tyra Hawthorne (CEO), Hannah Tolksdorf (Divisional Director of Business Operations), Brooke Evans (Divisional Director of Human Resources), and Alisha Smith-Guardado (Divisional Director of Early Childhood Education and Compliance). Regional and site leadership includes Mr. Keyshawn Higgs (Regional Operations Manager: San Diego County), Imani Ramsingh (Regional Operations Manager: Riverside County), Brieanna Gibson Diaz (Site Supervisor Encanto), Jadon Moten (Site Supervisor Escondido), and Cecilia Montoya (Site Supervisor Perris).
Parent testimonials describe Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy as a place where children in Preschool 4 The Arts show growth in their abilities in a short time and where parents feel fortunate to send their children. One parent notes that both their daughter and her classmates are learning at a rapid pace and that the founder is an inspiration. Another parent of two toddlers reports that their daughter is thriving in language development, is learning to manage her emotions, and plays drums daily, and that their son, who may be on the spectrum, is handled with care and patience. CEO Tyra Hawthorne summarizes the academy’s view of arts education by stating, “Music is Math. Music is reading. Music is comprehension.”
Last updated July 8, 2026.
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