by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
As young couples consider moving to new digs downtown, they have to take into account where they work, where they’ll shop for food and go for entertainment . . . and what to do with the children.
St. John’s Cathedral School is confident it has the answer.
Some parents have already preregistered their children at the school’s Early Learning Center, which should be ready to open Sept. 8 at 330 Market St.
Enrollment will top out at 96 pupils, mostly 2- through 5-year-olds. Some infants and toddlers will be admitted if an older sibling is also enrolled.
“Our goal is to provide a couple of things that will set us apart,” said the Very Rev. Edward Harrison, dean of the Cathedral School. “Our curriculum is going to be unbelievable, surpassing anything in town.
“And we’ve got faculty that are head and shoulders above the rest. All of them are outstanding folks.”
There will be approximately 15 staff members at the center, which will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Early Learning Center will offer a full-year program. It will not run on a school calendar but will honor school holidays.
The 10,000-square-foot building has previously been the home of at least two child care/day care centers — Little Executives and Bright Horizons.
“In the past, the programs have been child-care focused,” said Gretchen Vodrey Titshaw, head of school. “Ours will be education focused. We have a full-day educational program.
“That doesn’t mean they sit at desks and do paperwork. They’ll be doing developmentally age-appropriate activities. Lots of movement, music. Brain stimulation.”
The center will offer degreed and certified teachers at a lower-than-normal pupil-teacher ratio.
“I would describe it as a very caring, nurturing, safe environment,” said Titshaw.
The last center moved out of the building about two years ago, Harrison said. St. John’s Cathedral bought it a year ago with an Early Learning Center in mind.
Rehabbing started in March but really got going in earnest in June, said Harrison.
“We’re doing a very thorough rehabilitation,” he said. “We’ve completely repiped the building. We had to tear out the drywall and replace that. We’re also putting in a new kitchen. Work is being done on counters, cabinets and sinks.
“The whole building has undergone a complete painting and cleaning.”
“The only thing we didn’t have to do is move walls,” said Titshaw. “The design’s really strong.”
“That’s right,” Harrison agreed. “When you walk around inside, you’re amazed. There’s 10,000 square feet in here. The classrooms are really well designed.”
In addition to bright classrooms lining both sides of the hallways, there is a “quiet area,” a room with cribs for the youngest attendees and a multi-purpose room for pupils to march, play music and have story time.
Breakfast and lunch will be served in the spacious kitchen.
“This will provide an opportunity for parents to come have lunch with their children.,” said Harrison. “They’ll also be able to attend some of the outings we go on downtown -— to the Cummer or the library. That sort of thing.”
Parents will also be able to join their children at weekly chapel services.
The ambitious educational program will be a “developmental, literacy-focused curriculum that’s new to the market,” said Titshaw. “It’s only about two years old. It’s based on research into how the little brain develops and what is appropriate to do at what age.”
There will be a lot of focus on science and math as well as plenty of “multi-sensory activities, anything we can to stimulate them,” she added. “Drama, the arts, movement. We’re even going to teach Spanish to the 3- and 4-year-olds.
“But it isn’t so much what they learn as that they learn.”
“The curriculum and the level of instruction are going to be exciting,” Harrison said. “It’s awesome. I think we’re delivering a product at a reasonable rate.”
Weekly tuition starts at $140. A one-time $50 registration fee will be waived for all students enrolled by Aug. 1.
For more information or to arrange a tour of the center, call 353-4050 and ask for Titshaw or Marlo Hunt, executive administrator.
“The Cathedral has always been committed to rebuilding downtown,” Harrison said. “This is part of that whole vision of making downtown livable and providing services to the community.”