St. Stephen’s Church has always sought to address unmet needs in the community of Millburn/Short Hills. In 1870 the church opened St. Stephen’s School to provide education for families of modest means and continued that program until the town of Millburn improved its municipal education system. The church re-opened the school in 1998 as St. Stephen’s Preschool and has been providing quality affordable childcare for the children in the community and beyond ever since.
St. Stephen’s and Education:
St. Stephen’s Preschool is dedicated to providing a warm, loving, nurturing, educational environment for children ages four months through 6 years from all religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Following our historic calling to serve the needs of all people in our community and surrounding area, we do not teach religion but strive to teach children to respect the dignity of every human being. We encourage each child to celebrate their own varied talents and differences and to appreciate and respect those of others. Through challenges and encouragement children will develop solid beliefs and ideas that will be part of their foundation.
We offer a thoughtfully structured program to promote all aspects of children’s well-being and competence. We are play based with learning goals that are addressed in ways that are developmentally appropriate for young learners. Teachers intentionally use the environment, materials, and teaching strategies to engage and enable children to acquire important knowledge and skills.
Our goal is to get to know your child well and to use this knowledge to help facilitate their learning experience at St. Stephen’s. We believe that all teaching requires continual professional development, personal reflection and collaboration. We value parent involvement at every level and see parents as partners in our work to nurture each child’s natural love of learning.
Facilities:
Located in the education building of St. Stephen’s Church, the Preschool utilizes 8 classrooms, an indoor gym, and an outside play area. Regardless of the weather, children always enjoy gross motor activities. Time spent on our fleet of bright yellow trikes will be a highlight of your child’s day!
Programs:
Age appropriate learning programs are offered full time, five days a week for Infants (4 to 18 months of age), Toddlers (18 – 30 months), PreK-2, PreK-3, PreK-4, and Kindergarten students. There is specific attention to the developmental and learning needs of each group.
Hours of Operation:
- Monday through Friday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Regular school year: September through June 30
- Summer Program: July through mid August
Our preschool is sponsored by St. Stephen’s Church and Licensed by the State of N.J. Department of Children and Families License #080800029
For more information or to schedule a tour contact: Nancy Siracusa, Director 973-376-0688 Ext. 20; Email: sspsmillburn@gmail.com