History

Early childhood education has always been important to the congregation of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Covenant Nursery School began in 1949 with several members of Covenant Presbyterian Church getting their children together. The thought was that children learn early from experiences, especially from being with other children. The mothers met and had their children play together and after the first year they hired a teacher.

In the 1960's the importance of young children needing early educational experiences was demonstrated by the founding of Challenge Nursery School at Covenant Church. This program was for socio-economic disadvantaged children in Springfield and managed totally by volunteers from the congregation. The design of this program was a model of what Head Start was to become. In the 1970's Challenge Nursery School closed because of the implementation and success of local Head Start Programs.

Covenant Nursery School continued in growth and eventually two teachers were hired to teach two separate classes; a three year old class and a four/five year old class. In the 1980's and 1990's more growth was experienced and Covenant Nursery School became a program of six different classes as well as the addition of a kindergarten class. In 1998 Covenant Nursery School was renamed Covenant Children's Academy and an extended care option during lunch was added to the program.

Covenant Children's Academy has been nationally accredited by the National Academy for the Education of Young Children since 1991. It is one of the oldest nationally accredited programs in the state of Ohio. The playground for the school was built with funds donated by members of the church congregation and families of Covenant Children's Academy. The Barbara Deer Kuss playground was dedicated October 8, 2000.

 

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                                                       Testimonials

“Our daughter Teryn, attended Covenant Children’s Academy for two years of preschool, and we couldn’t have been happier with her progress – she has flourished!  We chose to keep Teryn there for her kindergarten year as well because of the small class size, the personal attention, and the outstanding teaching staff.  We consider Covenant Children’s Academy to be one of Springfield’s best kept secrets!”  
-Tracy and Darrin Ferrell

"I have had three sons attend Covenant Children's Academy for pre-school. My youngest son attended pre-school and kindergarten there. I cannot say enough about the program! My children woke up excited to go to school. It was such a safe and nurturing environment. The teachers made learning fun for the children."
-Michelle Kelly

"Covenant Children's Academy has a fun, creative and educational environment with dedicate, loving teacher. All three of our children enjoyed their experience. We would recommend this school to anyone!"
-Chad and Christi Violet

"Covenant Children's Academy has been an invaluable beginning educational experience for our three young children. The teachers have always been kind, loving and nurturing. Covenant is designed to be what a pre-school should be. It is fun and relaxed with an emphasis on helping children learn to share and respect one another. We are very pleased with our experience at Covenant!"
-Peter and Amy Foreman

"Dear Mrs. Neely and Mrs. Pavlatos and the "family" at Covenant Children's Academy,
I can't believe Isabella has already completed pre-school and is on her way to Kindergarten. It fells like she and Alexandra were babies last month! Our experience with Covenant CHildren's Academy has been absolutely wonderful. We would like to thank you for everything you have done for our daughters and our family.

Both daughters (and also Stacy and I) have enjoyed every teacher and Covenant . They enjoyed attending school everyday and almost always left school happy and excited about their day. The teachers embraced our children with compassion, love, and nurturing. Both Alexandra and Isabella have learned so much and left the program ready to read and tackle Kindergarten.

From the parent's perspective, Stacy and I have enjoyed Covenant. We always felt informed about the events, timeline, and general details of the program. Lines of communication were always flowing smoothly. We greatly appreciate the care and exemplary education that you have given our children. The cost of the program is low compared to the value of the superior education received.

We will always give a positive recommendation for Covenant Children's Academy. As an expression of gratitude, we have enclosed a donation to the Covenant Children's Academy/ You may also send us mailings for any future fundrasing support."

Thank you very much for everything. Sincerely and in deep appreciation,
-Jade Gianakopoulos and family

We sent both of our children to the preschool and kindergarten programs at the Covenant Children's Academy. We were so impressed with the preschool program that we decided to enroll our kids in the kindergarten. The kindergarten program was first rate. The class size is kept to a maximum of fifteen, and the quality of teaching is superb. Our children were off and running in the first grade at our county school due to the quality of the learning experiences at the Covenant Children's Academy.
-Cindy and Dave Baird