Lion's Pride Academy is St. Louis' premier home daycare for younger children.

Our teaching approach relies on positive reinforcement, an emphasis on creativity and our small class size. We are careful to respect our diverse students and to celebrate both individual and cultural differences.

The Montessori method is an important inspiration for us. We emphasize a prepared environment, a mixed-age classroom, hands-on learning and uninterrupted blocks of free study. We track student interests and progress over time, model proper behavior and grace, and teach self-control rather than a dependence on external discipline.

Lion's Pride focuses extensively on language development. Students and staff use English and Chinese both in class and in their daily work, creating an immersive language environment. Native-language instructors teach Chinese and English classes.

With two teachers and no more than 10 children, we use a low teacher-student ratio to tailor each class to the needs of the students and to increase classroom safety.

Our custom-made SCALE curriculum ensures a balanced education and well-rounded children. SCALE covers 6 core areas of excellence: Sciences, Culture, Arts, Languages and Ethics.

Our subject matter is age-appropriate -- while our younger children are learning basic words like "the sun," older students are exploring the life cycle of a star.

The main teaching methods include structured game play, music and dance, independent study, group story time and play-based activities. We avoid group recitation and formal lecturing methods. Children are not assigned homework.

A mixed-age student group mirrors the natural learning method of children, which includes learning both from parents and from their brothers and sisters. Younger students look up to, learn from and aspire to be like their older classmates. Older students engage in classroom leadership and earn the confidence that comes from demonstrating subject mastery, teaching what they know and being the object of affection and admiration.