The St. Jude Preschool Program is a kindergarten-readiness program that is designed to meet the needs of the whole child. In addition to preparing the child academically, the program is also designed to meet the social, physical, and emotional needs of the child. Our school provides a happy, creative atmosphere where a child can develop to his or her fullest potential. Our program is based on the philosophy that each child is unique with his or her own strengths and needs. The differences and developmental rates of each child are seriously considered as we help them begin their school career. All St. Jude Preschool faculty members are certified childhood educators.  

New Preschool children must be 3 by August 15th or 4 by September 15th to attend the preschool.  In addition, all children must be completely potty-trained.

As children become preschoolers, their social and emotional skills need the guidance of a nurturing teacher.  The St. Jude Preschool Program is designed to foster a child’s independence.  Teachers guide the children to become more confident in their abilities and prompt them to take a responsible role in their classroom community.
Communication involves expressing thoughts, wants, and needs.  Communication also involves listening to and understanding what others are saying.  The St. Jude three-four year-old program offers children many opportunities to express their thoughts and opinions with their friends and teachers.  Teachers model taking turns, cooperative play, and good listening skills with our students.
 
The St. Jude 4-5 year-old program is designed to increase a child’s independence, further developing their confidence and abilities.  The 4-5 year old children assume more responsibility in the classroom and are assigned daily tasks such as leading the daily prayer and participating in calendar activities.  Since children are more developmentally ready to work together at this age, activities are presented that require cooperation and problem-solving in small group settings.

Cognitive skills are the foundation of learning and knowledge.  St. Jude preschoolers are encouraged to use problem-solving skills when they make predictions, retell stories in their own words, compare and contrast, and explore and make discoveries. In the 4-5 year-old preschool program, children practice classifying, identifying numbers 1-20, one-to-one correspondences, time and money.  Children explore weather, plants, animals, sounds, textures, and increase their science vocabulary through simple science experiments. The St. Jude 4-5 year-old preschool program utilizes The Letter People Program, a comprehensive literacy program that promotes early literacy skills including alphabet letter recognition, phonics, and comprehension. Each week children are introduced to a new letter with a series of hands-on activities which are integrated throughout all subject areas and learning centers.
 
St. Jude School recognizes the importance of physical development.  Preschool students attend a physical education class weekly where they strengthen their large muscle groups. Activities focus on the development of gross motor skills such as skipping, hopping and galloping. In the classroom, students strengthen their fine motor skills by cutting, lacing, horizontal writing, and the use of OT-based manipulatives.

The St. Jude Preschool religion program utilizes stories of God’s love by Benzinger.

Click here to access the  Preschool Handbook

A variety of preschool class options are available to meet the individual needs of our families.  Preschool classes are available for students as young as 3 with options of half day, full day and up to five days a week classes. 

Our half day program hours are 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.  Our full day program hours are 8:30 a.m. until 2:15 p.m.  The St. Jude Preschool teachers are certified childhood educators.  Students in our preschool program participate in Music, Art, Physical Education and Computer classes taught by certified teachers with Kindergarten readiness being an ultimate goal of our program.  Pre-care is available beginning at 7:30 am, and a structured after-school program is available for all St. Jude students until 6:00 pm.

Our preschool teachers and aides have an abundance of early childhood educational experience and love for the children that they work with.  

Preschool Handbook