The Garden Christian Preschool and Child Care Center is a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in Hazel Park.

We are pleased to serve children from 4 weeks through 5 years of age. We have a full preschool and education child care program that runs all year, even during the summer. We are open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to serve families better. A nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks are served daily. We have created a curriculum that will truly meet the needs of each child and family we serve and assist parents in bringing their children up in a Christian environment. Our name "The Garden" comes from wanting the children to experience true growth. Just as flowers grow in a garden, we want children to grow in our program. There is a verse in the bible that speaks of that true growth. Luke 2:52 says that "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and all people." This verse covers all of the areas of growth that are important to children, just as Jesus grew in wisdom (intellectually), in stature (physically), in favor with God (spiritually), and with all people (socially), we will provide daily activities for the children in our program to experience all these areas of growth. Of course you can't have a Garden without lots of flowers, plants, bugs and mud! So our playground is designed to teach children about God's wonderful creation, and provide for many hands-on learning activities.

Our Philosophy:

A child develops mentally, physically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally. We are committed to providing Biblically based, age-appropriate experiences to allow each child to progress in these areas at his/her own level of ability while enjoying feelings of success. This is primarily done through hands-on activities in learning centers and positive Christ-like role modeling of the staff. Parent newsletters will keep you informed about each unit designed for your child's class.

Our Goals and Objectives:

We aim to help children begin to develop an understanding of their relationship to the world. The first five years are the most important in developing a positive attitude about school and other group experiences in the future. We strive to provide a home-like atmosphere by creating a loving, trusting relationship between children and teachers. We aim to help children develop language and listening skills to communicate effectively, to sharpen social skills and encourage problem solving among peers. We encourage and create opportunities for children to experiment with and develop their creative abilities to the fullest. We provide children with daily opportunities to develop their large and small motor skills. Motor skill development is assisted at times through careful support and guidance. We help children work toward becoming self-guided and self-disciplined. Experiences in making judgments and decisions will be provided in order for the child to become confident so that he/she is able to make positive choices and decisions when the teacher isn't nearby. We teach children that God is a God of love, that Jesus is their friend and cares for them, that He is someone to share their problems with and that He expects them to be honest, loving and obedient. We share with and support parents in the growth and development of their children.

Our Curriculum:

Lead and Assistant Teachers in each department develop their own curriculum monthly. All curriculum includes learning games and fun activities, helps children sharpen their listening skills, follow directions and practice hand-eye coordination as they learn ABC's and number concepts. Our program guides children to recognize letter shapes and learn letter sounds by exposure to a literature-rich environment. Each department engages daily in age appropriate activities; which include art/self expression, dramatic play, fine and gross motor skills, science, sensory and music. We use a variety of monthly themes to give the children opportunities to learn about the world around them.

We offer a full preschool program for children 3 to 5 years old between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. We offer full or half day infant/toddler programs tailored to meet the individual needs of each child.

Our facilities are newly remodeled. We have a wonderful outdoor playground with activities and toys for all ages, along with an indoor "multipurpose hallway" for exercise on those rainy days.

We offer discounts to families with more than one child, to families with one or more parent on active military duty, and to families with one or more parent that work in a full time ministry position.

We gladly accept DHS child care subsidies.