I am sitting here tonight, Sunday September 11, 2011, on the eve of the opening of our 54th year of continuous operation as a preschool. As I am preparing to write the entry for the October Communicant (we write it a month in advance) I am compelled to reflect on the school’s mission to the community and why it has endured for so long. Many church schools have come and gone, but St. Paul’s Nursery School has been steadfast. We have faced many challenges in the past and have triumphed. Let me share with you our history, mission and philosophy, which is stated in our parent handbook, and perhaps this may explain our longevity.

Our History:

St. Paul’s Nursery School was founded in Wickford, RI in 1957 by Dorothy Belden, wife of the Rector, Canon Frederick Belden. Mrs. Belden initially started the school as a preschool & kindergarten before public kindergarten was offered in the North Kingstown. Once kindergarten was instituted into the public schools, St. Paul’s Nursery School evolved into the developmentally appropriate preschool program for 3 and 4 year olds that it is today. At SPNS, we have aligned our curriculum to meet the RI Early Learning Standards. These standards help provide guidance to administrators, teachers and families on what children should know and be able to do before entering Kindergarten. St. Paul’s is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families and our teachers are fully certified. Our student-teacher ratio is within the state guidelines, 1to 9 for three year olds and 1 to 10 for four year olds.

Our Mission:

St. Paul’s Nursery School, a ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, provides high quality, affordable, early learning education to preschool children from the surrounding communities. Our goal is to help young children develop a basic foundation of Christian values, social skills and love of learning that empowers them to grow into successful students and good citizens. Our Philosophy: We believe children are active learners. They learn best through interactions with adults, other children, and materials. Teachers provide hands-on activities that are relevant to the child’s own life experiences. Our school provides an introduction to academics with an emphasis on play, in accordance with the RI Early Learning Standards. Our environment is one in which boundaries and consistency help create security, warmth, and acceptance to foster your child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive self. Family engagement is an important part of our school. Evidence has shown that when families are involved with their child’s learning, the children do better in school.

Our Future

As times have changed and running a school in this new environment has become more complicated, the school and the Vestry are in the process of establishing a more formal school board with by-laws and officers to more actively govern the operations of our school under the oversight of the Vestry. We welcome all interested individuals, from the parish or surrounding communities, who would be willing to serve on this enhanced board. If you would like to help please contact the Reverend David Dobbins, Cheryl Suglia, Rini Georgekutty, or me, Linda Taraborelli.

God Bless, Linda