The Stanton Good Shepherd Christian Preschool is excited to announce it has received a 5-Star rating from the Iowa Quality Rating System through the Iowa Department of Human Services. Five stars is the highest rating a preschool can receive. The Good Shepherd Christian Preschool, along with the Stanton Child Resource Center, is one of the very few Five-Star rated programs in Southwest Iowa.
“It was many hours of hard work to achieve this and we are very proud of our 4-year old preschool program,” said Darra Reed, Preschool Teacher.
According to the Department of Human Services website, the Iowa Quality Rating System was created in 2006 to raise the quality of child care in Iowa, to increase the number of children in high-quality child care settings, and to educate parents about quality in child care. This voluntary program provides a rating of between one and five stars for providers who go the extra mile to offer exceptional child care.
Good Shepherd Christian Preschool is a ministry of Mamrelund Lutheran Church, provided as a service and an outreach to the community. In 1989, a community survey was taken in Stanton which indicated 72% of those surveyed saw full-time child care as very important. A group of interested individuals saw the need for a Christian preschool which would provide learning opportunities for young children, enabling them to reach their potential. During the early childhood years, attitudes concerning human relationships and social and religious values are formed. These attitudes include how young children feel about themselves, their worth and value, and their uniqueness as individuals. We believe that providing for the nurture of preschool children will affect their development as children and their entire future as adults. The preschool was located in the Mamrelund Lutheran Church basement for many years and was moved to its present location at the Viking Center during the summer of 2014. Good Shepherd Christian Preschool uses Creative Curriculum, which includes the total development of a child: social-emotional, cognitive, literacy, language, math and physical development, along with a generous amount of art and music. We offer a Christian preschool designed to put the child at ease, to encourage questions, and to allow for freedom of movement while providing a safe place to play, explore and learn.
“This year the Iowa Quality Rating System awarded Good Shepherd its highest rating, five stars. Good Shepherd is one of a small number of preschools, and even smaller number of faith-based preschools, to receive the highest rating. We are very thankful for the gifts of our staff, our preschool Board and our partners for all the hard work done to provide this outstanding program,” said Pastor Eric Kutzli of
Mamrelund Lutheran Church.
Kutzli continued to say, “This fall we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Good Shepherd Christian Preschool. For over three decades, this ministry of Mamrelund Church has provided early childhood education for an entire generation of children from the Stanton community and across Montgomery County. Many of the eager kids who attend Good Shepherd are now children of parents who once were Good Shepherd students themselves. Good Shepherd has been a blessing to hundreds of kids in Stanton and the surrounding area. We look forward to continuing to serve our neighbors in Christ’s name for many years to come.”
For questions or to sign up your child for 4-year-old preschool this Fall, please contact Darra Reed at (712)829-2421.
