About Grace Neighborhood Academy
Our Mission
Grace Neighborhood Academy is an outreach ministry of the Grace Neighborhood Development Corporation and Grace-Trinity United Church of Christ. The facility, located at 5221 Oxford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, addresses the childcare needs of the community by providing safe, affordable, and reliable care in an enriching educational environment. We believe that all people are God’s wonderful children, and each child is a precious gift of God.
Grace Neighborhood Academy exists to address the childcare needs of the working parents. It is committed to provide a safe, affordable, stable care in an enriching educational environment. It strives to provide a holistic developmental approach to each child, which includes intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social growth.
Our Goal is to provide a foundation to support all children in their development as lifelong learners and contributing members of the community, and supports families in their essential work as parents and caregivers.
Grace Neighborhood Academy is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and meets all state and local safety and standard requirements. Safe, healthful, nurturing child care is provided to all children enrolled. Each child is encouraged to develop physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and creatively through age, individual, social or cultural appropriateness in a learning environment that forms a partnership with parents and families. All families and their children deserve the best possible care and education.
The administration and teachers of Grace Neighborhood Academy want to build a relationship with parents and families by working together in a partnership in determining what is best for your child.
Our Program Philosophy
We believe in valuing each child’s uniqueness and respect diverse learning styles, personalities, and intelligences.
We believe education and guidance decisions for children must be based on a collaborative partnership between parents and families with a collective knowledge of child development.
We believe in caring and educating all children in positive emotional and social environments that are cognitively stimulating and that support each child’s culture, language, ethnicity and family structure which is recognized and valued in the program.
We believe in utilizing assessment instrument to support children’s development and learning, to support curriculum and to support parent’s relationships with their children.
We believe in understanding and respecting the diversity of families and communities so learning experiences are meaningful and relevant for all children regardless of race, colour, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), age or sex.
We believe in advocating for all children including those with special needs to play and learn in an inclusive environment and to have access to the support services needed to be successful.
We believe in building a support network for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.
We believe it is necessary for continuous staff development to support the high-quality care which assures long-term results in our investment in the program, children, and their families.
We are a Keystone STARS Center
Keystone STARS is a state-wide quality rating system designed for participating centers to improve the quality of care for children beyond the already existing regulations set by Department of Public Welfare (DPW). Each STAR designation has its own research-based performance standards. The standards make a difference in the quality of care your child receives. The three areas of child care that are measured are the staff that we employ, the environment your child is in every day, and the way we run our business. St. Stephens Academy is currently a STAR three Facility working towards the highest star four rating by the end of this academic year.
