Early Education & Youth Development
Click Here to Register & Complete a Pre-K Application
For our children, our services include a daily preschool enrichment program and academic focused after-school program. We partner with the School District of Philadelphia, Public Health Management Corporation and Department of Human Services to ensure the best education in a healthy environment for our children.
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Improvement in reading for Kindergarten through 3rd Grade
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Students experiencing academic gains in reading for grade K-7th
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Students experiencing academic gains in math for grades K-7th
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Students improved behavioral grades
Early Education
Preschool at Mercy begins as early as 2.5 years old, with a focus on fine motor skills, site word development, reading comprehension and smooth transition to Kindergarten. We believe that early success in a child’s learning provides confidence and skills needed for the future. Our goal is to create a positive and enthusiastic attitude toward learning. For both our Tioga & Germantown preschool sites, we are a Keystone STARS Level 4 organization – the highest level of accreditation for childcare in the State of Pennsylvania.
Head Start, Pre-K Counts and CCIS funding is available for qualified parents to remove any cost barriers and bridge the gap for families looking for quality preschool programming.
Mercy OST
Our daily after-school programming – ranked a Top 50 Out-of-School Time program in the city – serves over 150 students in Pre-K through 8th grade. Academically, students receive homework assistance each day and participate in weekly STEM learning workshops with partners, such as SPARKmakers, who introduce our children to the concepts of coding, forensic science and aquaponics. In continuing to offer activities that help the development of the whole child, we introduced physical education & athletics to our programming earlier this year, with fitness classes led by our partner UGOT Active Kids and soccer clinics in partnership with the Starfinder Foundation.
Admission Policy
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries admits children from the age of 3 through 13 without regard to race, culture, sex, religion, national origin, disability, religion or ancestry. When the parent or legal guardian of a child identifies that a child has special needs, the child care director and parent or legal guardian will meet to review the child’s care requirements. Mercy Neighborhood Ministries does not discriminate on the basis of special needs as long as a safe, supportive environment can be provided for the child.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “Head Start”?
Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensiveearly childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.
Who is eliglible for Head Start?
Children from birth to age five who are from families with incomes below the poverty guidelines are eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start services. Children from homeless families, and families receiving public assistance such as TANF or SSI are also eligible.