A Catholic preschool in Ogden is growing

Intermountain Catholic

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Saint James the Just Parish hosts a preschool.

OGDEN — Four years ago, with the help of Father Erik J. Richtsteig, pastor of Saint James the Just Catholic Church, Terri Ward started a pre-school at the parish, which has proved popular.

"We already are going to have to add classes for next year," said Ward, who is the director of the pre-school.

The pre-school currently offers two classes, one for 3-year-olds and one for 4-year-olds. There are 13 kids in each class. The 3-year-old class runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The 4-year-old class is Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The plan is to open an afternoon class for the 4-year-olds for next school year because, as Ward said, "we are getting a lot of phone calls, which is very exciting."

The new class is scheduled to run from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

The pre-school is housed in the basement of St. James.

Everything started when a couple of parents asked Fr. Richtsteig for a preschool for their kids. Ward was already running a pre-school program on Sundays at the church, so Fr. Richtsteig asked her to take care of all the programs. Ward accepted.

"It’s probably one of the best decisions I have ever made," said Ward, who, together with a full-time aide, runs the programs.

The pre-school is open for children of all faiths. "I have some LDS kids, and the parents are very receptive to what we teach," Ward said.

St. James parishioners support the preschool project. When the pre-school has a need, it’s printed in the parish bulletin and people donate what was requested.

For the 3-year-old class, the requirement is that the kids must be potty trained. The class is designed for students who have not had previous pre-school experience. Among the things that kids learn in this class are independence, language development, motor skills (small and large), manners and social awareness. Concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, shapes and name recognition are also taught.

The 4-year-old class is designed to prepare children for kindergarten. Among the things that are taught are independence, concepts like numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and name recognition, which many of the students master.

The instructors also use phonics as a resource for this class.

"I’ve learned a lot," Ward said. "Every child has something lovable. It makes me a better person at home."