Merricourt Kindergarten

Ever since we've purchased this old, charming home that we've named "Savannah Court"... 

   it's history has intrigued me. For 33 years, from 1946 to 1979, this site was the location of the Merricourt Kindergarten. Ms. Jan Harting, the owner and teacher, had tremendous influence on hundreds, if not thousands of local, Daytonian children that had passed through these four walls. In fact, I've met several people, now in their 60's that had attended the Merricourt Kindergarten, long before kindergardens really existed. Apparently Ms. Harting had moved from Connecticut, with her family in 1946 to purchase the home. She spent every extra penny she earned adding more rooms to the home. She ran the school with an iron, but loving fist. As the story goes...every Friday, the elves of Merricourt, Minchkin and Pinchkin , would throw candy canes or lollipops from the old oak tree they lived in, just out back behind the playground. I simply cannot imagine trying to contain 40 children, with no air conditioning, and keeping their attention long enough to learn anything. She truly must have been a saint! To this day, we still uncover plastic toy soldiers and metal spoons buried in the yard from nearly half a century ago. Though I never had the opportunity to meet Ms. Harting, these stories bring back very fond memories I have of my own grandmother. I am determined to keep the memory of the Merricourt Kindergarten alive and hope our vision to create a different kind of financial planning experience is a tribute to the legacy that Ms. Harting leaves behind.