Shades Crest Baptist Church

A community of faith formed in Christ, for the Glory of God, and the sake of others

Home » Early Learning Academy

Early Learning Academy

The Early Learning Academy ministry at Shades Crest Baptist Church seeks to provide a safe, loving
Christian environment that strives to achieve the highest potential in early childhood education and development. Our program is rooted in the core values of Shades Crest Baptist Church: Worship, Spiritual Growth, the Great Commission, and living as a Community of Faith. We desire to demonstrate and share God’s love in the administration of our program and nurture the foundation for an enduring relationship between God and our students.

We are a DHR-exempt preschool with the yearly health department and fire department checks.

2024-2025 Enrollment Policy/Procedure

The acceptance and placement of every child is predicated upon the importance of generating maximum child enrollment capacity through the course of the school year.  As stewards of this ministry, this policy allows us the ability to meet our financial obligations and maintain fiscal integrity.  Consideration is given to enrolling children in the following order: children of the ELA staff, children of current families, children of members of Shades Crest Baptist Church, and children of new interested families.

Those families whose child has been accepted but will not be able to start at the beginning of the school year, may “hold a spot” with the following conditions: 1) all initial registration and supply fees must be paid at the assigned time; 2) any applicable monthly extended care costs, and monthly tuition costs must be paid in full each month beginning in August.

There will be no increased rates next school year for current children.  The new monthly tuition rates for all newly enrolled children for the 2025-2026 school year will be as follows:  $340 for the 3 days a week program (9:00 am to 1:00 pm) and $440 for the 5 days a week program (9:00 am to 1:00 pm).  All extended care rates will remain the same.

All registration fees and immunization records are due on the appropriate registration date for each child, and are non-refundable.

  • Jan. 27th-Enrollment for Current Students
  • Jan. 29th-Enrollment for SCBC Members
  • Feb. 3rd-Enrollment open to community

Children at Shades Crest Early Learning Academy

We serve children from 12 weeks to 5 years of age. Infants must be able to take a bottle.

Please be aware that children with special needs and/or developmental delays will be considered
individually. The director will make a final decision based on the level of the child’s needs, the abilities
of the staff, and the facility’s capacity to accommodate those needs.

Staff

Our administrative team consists of Director, Laird Crump; Assistant Director, Meagan Weed;
Development Director, Lydia Cromey; and Aftercare Director, Mary Beth Crane.

Our teaching and caregiving team is a dedicated and experienced group of professionals who view their
role as a ministry first and a job second. Each one is committed to creating a safe, loving, and nurturing
environment where every child feels welcomed and encouraged to grow. All staff members must meet
the Alabama DHR guidelines for employment in an exempt childcare program.

Curriculum

Our curriculum incorporates the Alabama Standards for Early Education and Development and
implements practices and curricula (Learning Without Tears) that best enable us to achieve those
standards. Those standards focus on the following four domains of learning:

1) Relationships and Connections: (designates those skills and expectations that are built from children’s relationships with peers and adults, their self-knowledge, and their connections to family and the community in which they live).

2) Exploration and Critical Thinking: Developing STEM Skills (the skills and strategies children use to
learn through exploration and problem-solving in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics).

3) Communication (children’s language and literacy development as well as the way they communicate
through areas such as music, movement, dramatic play, and visual arts).

4) Physical Development and Health (how children develop coordination, strength, and control of their
bodies and develop the knowledge about how to stay healthy).

More detailed information can be found on children.alabama.gov. As a faith-based early learning
program, we will include a fifth domain which is Spiritual Development (introduce an awareness that
there is a God who created them in His image, who loves them and desires a relationship with them, and
who has a plan for their lives). We will accomplish this through weekly chapel services, scripture
memorization, music, and Bible stories.

School Schedule

We follow the Hoover City Schools calendar of school openings, closings, and delayed openings.
We offer a program of 3 days a week (MWF) or 5 days a week (M-F). The hours of operation for our
Early Learning Academy are 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Extended care hours are available for children
attending the regular preschool program that same day. The early care program runs from 7:15 AM to
9:00 AM and the aftercare program runs from 1:00 PM to 4:15 PM.

Contact Information

To inquire about our program or to request a tour of our academy, please contact our office at 205-824-9050 or email our Assistant Director, Meagan Weed at mweed@shadescrest.org, or our Director, Laird Crump at lcrump@shadescrest.org.