About Ivy Prep Learning Center

Shelly Ladd-Gilbert is the Founder and Director of Ivy Prep Learning Center and a lifelong Pinellas County resident whose career has centered around education, children, and community service.

Before opening Ivy Prep, Shelly spent 10 years as an elementary school teacher, primarily teaching kindergarten and first grade. Her classroom experience, combined with her background in early childhood and gifted education, helped shape the educational philosophy that continues to guide Ivy Prep today.

Shelly is certified in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Gifted Education, has earned National Board Certification, and holds a Director’s Credential.

Her experience in gifted education has been especially influential in the development of Ivy Prep. Shelly believed that young children were capable of remarkable learning when concepts were presented in engaging, developmentally appropriate ways. She wanted to create a preschool where children could be challenged intellectually while still enjoying everything that childhood should include—play, imagination, creativity, discovery, friendships, and fun.

Shelly has remained actively engaged in education and community service throughout her career. She has served on elementary, middle, and high school Parent Teacher Association boards, School Advisory Councils, and committees with the Pinellas Education Foundation. She has also been involved with numerous charitable and philanthropic organizations.

In 2026, Shelly was selected as Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Clearwater in recognition of her service and involvement in the community.

For Shelly, Ivy Prep has always been much more than a school. It is a place where children are known individually, where curiosity is encouraged, and where families often remain connected long after their preschool years have ended.

Ivy Prep has always been very much a family story.

Shelly and Paul Gilbert met while attending Florida State University, where they happened to live next door to one another. Years later, together they would help create and nurture the school that became Ivy Prep Learning Center.

When Ivy Prep opened in 2004, their daughter was just one year old. In many ways, she grew up alongside the school. She spent her early childhood at Ivy Prep, participated in its traditions and activities, and later returned as a volunteer as she grew older.

Some of her earliest interests in science and medicine began during her years at Ivy Prep. Through the school’s science experiments, medical-themed activities, and Pre-Med experiences, she developed an early fascination with the medical field.  

Those early experiences made a lasting impression. Even as a young child, she enjoyed pretending to be a doctor, reading children’s medical books to her dolls and teddy bears, and writing pretend prescriptions.

As she grew older, that childhood interest in medicine continued to develop. She eventually followed in her parents’ footsteps by attending Florida State University and is now attending medical school as she works toward becoming a physician.

For Shelly and Paul, watching their daughter’s journey has made Ivy Prep’s mission especially meaningful. They have seen firsthand how an experience introduced during the preschool years can capture a child’s imagination, encourage curiosity, and sometimes even become the beginning of a lifelong dream.

More than two decades after Ivy Prep opened its doors, it remains deeply personal to the Gilbert family. Their hope for every child is that Ivy Prep will be a place filled with happy memories, meaningful experiences, a love of learning, and opportunities to discover interests that may stay with them for years to come.