Welcome! 

The Saint Katherine PAIDEIA Bilingual Nursery and Preschool offers a unique and nurturing environment in which children, at a very early age, are immersed in the Greek language, culture, and the Greek Orthodox faith.

 

The Program was founded in 2009 by the parents of the Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Community with the support of Father Costas and the Church Council to be a resource for all of the children in our community.

 

The Saint Katherine PAIDEIA Nursery and Preschool is currently accepting enrollment for the Nursery Program (ages 2-3) and the Preschool Program (ages 3-5). To be eligible for the Preschool Program, children must be potty trained by age 3.

 

For more information on the application process, please contact the school Director, Maria Papathanassiou at mpapathanassiou@gopaideia.org 

According to the New York Times, there is now scientific evidence supporting the many benefits of a second language:

"There are two major reasons people should pass their heritage language onto children. First, it connects children to their ancestors. The second: Bilingualism is good for you. It makes brains stronger. It is brain exercise."

Excerpt from the New York Times article, The Bilingual Advantage, by Claudia Dreifus, May 30, 2011

Click here to read the full article.

Our Mission

The PAIDEIA Preschool of Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church will provide for our children a safe, healthy, tolerant and stimulating learning environment of outstanding educational quality.  Our goals are to promote the Physical, Emotional, Cognitive and Spiritual development of our children. We will encourage the unique growth of each child using a Greek/English bilingual curriculum through fun and play.

 

How We Got Started

PAIDEIA as many of you know comes from 'Paidos' for 'child' and is the Greek word for 'education'.  The Ancient Greeks knew something about life we are only beginning to understand today – while we humans owe our very existence, our 'psyche' to our God, the contents of consciousness and what a child learns about the world and their place in it is the work of each parent.  PAIDEIA requires the active participation of parents and educators for the successful enculturation of the child and to teach them to excel in all aspects of their life, especially morally and as a good citizen.

 

As Americans, we proudly believe that our Hellenic culture, our Greek language and our Greek Orthodox religion is a part of who we are, and does not have to dissolve into the melting pot of

America . By embracing our multicultural identities, we also celebrate the treasure that is our Hellenic heritage. Through example, we teach our children to be proud Americans and to be proud of their Hellenic Heritage and the Greek Orthodox religion. We believe that when our children spend their early years learning about the Greek Orthodox faith, the Greek language and celebrating Hellenic culture, they will be more well-rounded American citizens and will be better prepared for their continuing education and life.

 

With this belief, the parents of Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church founded the School with the support of Father Costas and the Church Council to be a resource for all of the children in our community.

 

If you believe that a language immersion style Bilingual Preschool & Nursery with full-day or half-day participation is of benefit to your family and child, we welcome an opportunity to speak with you. Please contact our school Director, Maria Papathanassiou at mpapathanassiou@gopaideia.org