St James Pre School

This school is a gem right in the heart of Birmingham. That said, students come from many local cities as it seems to draw many wonderful families looking for a safe and nurturing environment. They accept kids starting at 18 months (don’t have to be potty trained) and you can create your own schedule from Monday — Friday. We are sending both of our children there this year. We have noticed HUGE strides in our children’s learning and social skills. They do crafts (even the Tots class with kids from 18 — 2.5 years), read books, sing songs and teach lessons of sharing and tolerance. Our son started last year in the 3’s program and it was so heart warming to watch him grow and play with his friends. His language improved and we got so many crafts to keep. Our daughter is now in the Tots program and only 2 months in, her vocabulary went from 20 or so words to now stringing together phrases and she pretty much repeats any word she hears. She was also really shy and now is very outgoing and loves playing with other kids. The teachers and school director are like family to us. They are really comforting and understanding and it is so evident that they love what they do! Other things that I believe set St. James apart: they disinfect all classrooms every (yes, every!) day, they have a very strict locked door policy and ID anyone that is not the usual pick up person (I’ve seen it for myself when a dad was picking up his son and a teacher didn’t know him). They do work sheets and it is very focused on education /​learning. All of the teachers there are required to do so many hours of training each year too. Again, you can do as many or as little days a week you want and mornings or extend the day to 2:00, they do lots of crafts, they have a balanced amount of activities and field trips and the other parents and kids are just wonderful. I’ve met so many great moms and feel so happy every time I am there.
We looked at other schools and have friends at other schools and truly, St. James far exceeds anything we could have asked for. Check out the school! You can call Shar Wickens, the director, directly and set up a personal visit when convenient for you.