Our Philosophy
Philosophy of St. Paul's Lutheran Preschool
The Preschool at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will teach and make disciples of the children God has entrusted to us. We believe children are valuable gifts whom God has forgiven through the death and resurrection of His Son.
Children learn best when taught in a Christ-centered environment that includes interaction with others, play-based learning experiences, and a variety of educational methods.
The Goals of St. Paul's Lutheran Preschool are to:
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Provide a safe and nurturing Christian environment where children experience the love of Jesus.
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Offer each child the opportunity to grow spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically, intellectually, and creatively through age-appropriate and play-based instruction.
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Prepare children for kindergarten.
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Support parents and families.
Our Approach
Create a laboratory for exploration where young children can experiment, imagine, and use all their senses to discover themselves and God's world.
Our Mission Statement
St. Paul's Lutheran Preschool with Extended Care provides a quality early childhood education program guided by Christian philosophy and doctrine and acts as a mission outreach of this congregation to community.
Our History
In the fall of 1991, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church initiated a new ministry for their families by beginning a Mother’s Morning Out Program. After four years and much prayer and study, this program was expanded into a preschool format incorporating a Christ centered educational curriculum.
Classes were originally held in the east wing of the campus, but were moved into a new education wing, upon the completion of a Christian Life Center in the fall of 2000. Seeking acknowledgement of the quality of our program as well as demonstrating accountability to our community, participants, and congregation, the Preschool began the rigorous national accrediting process of National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) in 2008.
NLSA, supported by more than 2000 schools, is the second largest national accrediting entity and assures parents that a high-quality Lutheran school exists wherever NLSA accreditation is found. The St. Paul’s Lutheran Preschool was awarded accreditation on July 31, 2009, with continuing accreditation granted in 2019.
While St. Paul’s Lutheran Preschool had met the needs of many member families and families of our extended community by providing a half-day Preschool, a barrier to enrollment and service to others existed due to the need for continued care before and/or after the Preschool classes.
With the educational emphasis of the Preschool’s core hours of instruction remaining central to its ministry, the addition of Extended Care was offered to students in the winter of 2012.
This quality education and Christian teaching of our Preschool is maintained during these hours to further enhance the preschool experience of those participating in this St. Paul’s program.
The enrollment for the 2024-25 schoolyear is 53 students, and since 1991 the St. Paul’s Lutheran Preschool has touched the lives of over 800 children and their families.