Welcome!

Little Saints Preschool is part of St. Thomas the Apostle School family, established in 1868. Since 2003, we have served our preschool children with thoughtful instruction of mind and spirit in a safe and nurturing environment. We are located just a few blocks north of downtown Ann Arbor, between State and Elizabeth Streets. We are minutes from the University of Michigan campus, University Hospitals complex and downtown businesses.

Our Mission

The mission of St. Thomas Little Saints Preschool is to lead children to foundational experiences of truth, goodness and beauty in the world around them. Kinesthetic, interdisciplinary and interactive projects and activities build religious, academic, sensory and socialization readiness skills including:

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Safety, health and hygiene
Awareness of and service to others
Letter recognition
Beginning phonics
Number and arithmetic readiness
Science discovery and experimentation
Discovery through the senses
Critical thought and imagination

Our Classrooms

Peaceful settings where students experience structure, kindness and engaging activity.
Developmentally appropriate practices that engage learnings at their proximate level of development.
Engaged, satisfied and interested children.
Teachers who know, respect and encourage each child in their own gifts and needs..
Teachers fluent in early childhood developmental stages, potential and assessment.
Teachers who inspire a child’s intrinsic interest in learning and discovery.

The Atrium

The Atrium and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Lessons

The Atrium is a place for children to actively participate in the liturgical and communal life of the Church.
The Atrium Directress displays and presents Gospel, Liturgical and Eucharistic materials and lessons, which invite the child to participate.
Atrium shelves include maps of Israel, small model environments for parable, infancy and paschal narratives, and items used during the Eucharist and Baptism.
The Atrium and its carefully prepared Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials help children to develop and enjoy a relationship with God.

Our Commitment

Weekly newsletters and parent communication.
Christian education in the Catholic tradition: children of all faiths are warmly welcomed.
Integration with parish and community.
Full day, school day, and half day options.
Developmentally appropriate activities.
Enriching activities fostering intellectual, language, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth.
Ongoing assessment of developmental readiness for kindergarten.
Spanish classes.
Encouraging nutritious snacks and scheduled rest
Parent-teacher conferences and collaborative relationships with families.
Degreed professionals in the field of early childhood education.
Building positive social relationships.
The Little Saints Preschool curriculum follows the philosophy and integration of learning of Classical Catholic Education. We follow Rule 400.8179 of the State of Michigan Child Care licensing results and the State of Michigan Preschool Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten.

Our Curriculum

Religious Experience – The natural religious sensibilities of a young child are nurtured in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation program. This program allows a child to develop an intuitive understanding and appreciation of:

» The Mass

» Advent

» Easter

» The Church

» Eucharist

Academic Foundations – Providing each child the linguistic skills in rhyme, letter recognition and story as a preparation to reading & written expression in:

» Communication

» Pre-Writing

» Pre-Reading

» Phonetics

» Reading & Writing

Sensory Exploration – A child’s senses are their window to the created world through which they experience wonder in discovering the order, beauty and nature of the wonderful connections that make the world understandable:

» Music

» Geometry

» Numeracy

» Science

» Geography

Social Development – Providing each child a setting and the support to grow in self understanding, motor control, empathy and generosity:

» Self-Awareness

» Environment

» Grace & Courtesy

» Movement

» Community

Our St. Thomas Connection

We are an integrated part of St. Thomas the Apostle School. Many of our Little Saints graduates make the natural transition to St. Thomas the Apostle School where life-long learning in the spirit of Christ continues. St. Thomas School offers a Classical Catholic educational program where children are lead to experiences of wonder in encountering the Good, True and Beautiful in the world through all subjects. A question based instructional practice with formation in linguistic skills of grammar, logic and rhetoric in a rich Catholic daily life prepare them to be both academic and spiritual leaders among their peers.