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 part of Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy and includes music education classes, dance education classes, creative dance, role-playing, storytelling, and group discussions. The program is connected to a marching band program, college prep sessions, and HBCU band audition prep offered through the academy.
• Ages: 0–4 years old
• Price: Free childcare services; subsidized-to-free state-funded child care
Preschool 4 The Arts is supported by Renu Hope Foundation, which was established in 1998 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Renu Hope Foundation is the cornerstone funding partner of the Preschool 4 The Arts program and uses California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and General Childcare and Development (CCTR) funding to provide state-subsidized childcare to families across two counties and four cities. The program’s mission at Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy (HBMPAA) is to close the gap in traditional education by offering at-risk and underprivileged youth transformative opportunities in music and dance education rooted in HBCU culture, including learning to read music, build body coordination, and develop stage presence.
The leadership team connected to Preschool 4 The Arts and Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy includes Tyra Hawthorne (CEO), who is a former Grambling State University Marching Band member, along with divisional directors Talia Miller (Administration), Ruth Aguila (Family Services), Hannah Tolksdorf (Business Operations), Shilah Stanford (Media & Performing Arts), Brooke Evans (Human Resources), and Alisha Smith-Guardado (Early Childhood Education and Compliance). Additional team members include Yolanda Kersey (Family Services Administrator), Amari Rathers (Performing Arts Specialist), Jadelyn Monton (Marketing Specialist), and site supervisors Brieanna Gibson Diaz (Encanto), Deborah Finnerty (Escondido), and Cecilia Montoya (Perris).
Preschool 4 The Arts blends early childhood education with artistic expression through early exposure to music, performing arts, and creative expression, including a creative dance curriculum with playful activities, rhythmic games, and age-appropriate choreography. The program includes a social and emotional curriculum that focuses on emotional regulation, empathy, social interaction, and self-awareness, and it is described as inclusive and nurturing. The broader Heartbeat programs are rooted in HBCU culture, and students have participated in nationally televised parades, television commercials, and network shows, with dancers having the opportunity to train and dance with Debbie Allen in The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.
Parent testimonials describe Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy and Preschool 4 The Arts as having children who show growth in abilities in a short time, learning at a rapid pace, and parents noting that they themselves learn from the staff. One parent reports that a child in Preschool 4 The Arts shows growth in abilities and mentions excitement about new schools opening and the drum line and dancers. Another parent with two toddlers at the academy notes that a daughter is thriving in language development, learning to manage emotions, and playing drums daily, and that a son who may be on the spectrum is handled with care and patience.
Last updated April 9, 2026.
• Ages: 0–4 years old
• Price: Free childcare services; subsidized-to-free state-funded child care
Preschool 4 The Arts is supported by Renu Hope Foundation, which was established in 1998 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Renu Hope Foundation is the cornerstone funding partner of the Preschool 4 The Arts program and uses California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and General Childcare and Development (CCTR) funding to provide state-subsidized childcare to families across two counties and four cities. The program’s mission at Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy (HBMPAA) is to close the gap in traditional education by offering at-risk and underprivileged youth transformative opportunities in music and dance education rooted in HBCU culture, including learning to read music, build body coordination, and develop stage presence.
The leadership team connected to Preschool 4 The Arts and Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy includes Tyra Hawthorne (CEO), who is a former Grambling State University Marching Band member, along with divisional directors Talia Miller (Administration), Ruth Aguila (Family Services), Hannah Tolksdorf (Business Operations), Shilah Stanford (Media & Performing Arts), Brooke Evans (Human Resources), and Alisha Smith-Guardado (Early Childhood Education and Compliance). Additional team members include Yolanda Kersey (Family Services Administrator), Amari Rathers (Performing Arts Specialist), Jadelyn Monton (Marketing Specialist), and site supervisors Brieanna Gibson Diaz (Encanto), Deborah Finnerty (Escondido), and Cecilia Montoya (Perris).
Preschool 4 The Arts blends early childhood education with artistic expression through early exposure to music, performing arts, and creative expression, including a creative dance curriculum with playful activities, rhythmic games, and age-appropriate choreography. The program includes a social and emotional curriculum that focuses on emotional regulation, empathy, social interaction, and self-awareness, and it is described as inclusive and nurturing. The broader Heartbeat programs are rooted in HBCU culture, and students have participated in nationally televised parades, television commercials, and network shows, with dancers having the opportunity to train and dance with Debbie Allen in The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.
Parent testimonials describe Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy and Preschool 4 The Arts as having children who show growth in abilities in a short time, learning at a rapid pace, and parents noting that they themselves learn from the staff. One parent reports that a child in Preschool 4 The Arts shows growth in abilities and mentions excitement about new schools opening and the drum line and dancers. Another parent with two toddlers at the academy notes that a daughter is thriving in language development, learning to manage emotions, and playing drums daily, and that a son who may be on the spectrum is handled with care and patience.
Last updated April 9, 2026.
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