The Preschool Program  at St. Mary's serves three to five year old children at five Indianapolis locations: the Thompson Building, the Gilliatte Building, Indianapolis Museum of Art, St. Anthony's Catholic School and the IPS/Butler University Laboratory School.

St. Mary’s is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), licensed by the State of Indiana and has attained the highest level (Level 4) on Indiana’s Paths to Quality rating scale.

The educators at St. Mary’s Child Center have been engaged in a study of the world-renowned schools for young children in Reggio Emilia, Italy since 2001.   We deeply embrace the values of collaboration, the strong image of the child, the environment as a teacher, children’s multiple symbolic languages, documentation as assessment and advocacy, long-term projects, the teacher as a researcher and the importance of home-school relationships.   We study the Reggio philosophy in collaboration with educators inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach around the world and we work closely with the College of Education at Butler University as partners in the Indianapolis Reggio Collaborative.

The 2020-2021 school year enrollment has opened. Click here for more information. For information in Spanish, click here. 

To schedule a tour or to request more information about our programs, please call us at 317.635.1491, or email us at: [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you at St. Mary's!

A Place of Learning. A Place of Caring.

Since 1961, the safety of children has been our top priority. St. Mary's Child Center aspires to operate in a way that protects all aspects of our students' lives while upholding our mission of providing a high-quality early childhood education. We are constantly assessing the needs of our mission-critical programs and activities in order to provide the most beneficial services to the people we serve.

St. Mary’s is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), licensed by the State of Indiana and has attained the highest level (Level 4) on Indiana’s Paths to Quality rating scale.

We deeply embrace the values of collaboration, the strong image of the child, the environment as a teacher, children’s multiple symbolic languages, documentation as assessment and advocacy, long-term projects, the teacher as a researcher and the importance of home-school relationships.   

We study the Reggio philosophy in collaboration with educators inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach around the world and we work closely with the College of Education at Butler University as partners in the Indianapolis Reggio Collaborative.

We serve traditional tuition paying families, On My Way Pre-K families and CCDF families. We also offer scholarships for those who may qualify and benefit from a little extra help. St. Mary’s Child Center offers full day and half-day preschool, 5 days per week. But, while we offer 5 greater Indianapolis locations to choose from, space is limited and fills up fast. So request a tour, more information or enroll today!

Our son is in his second year at St. Mary’s and we couldn’t be happier with the program! The teachers are simply incredible and are doing an excellent job of nurturing the cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development of our son. We are thrilled with the confidence, curiosity, and independence he has gained from his time at St. Mary’s, and we absolutely love the play-based learning and Reggio Emilia approach. We feel that he is now prepared for a successful kindergarten!

-Emily and Mike, parents of a St. Mary’s student

St Mary’s Child Center’s has 5 locations in Downtown Indianapolis, Midtown Indianapolis, Lawrence and the near Southside. We are very conveniently located to Meridian Kessler, Butler Tarkington, Fall Creek Place, the Old Northside and most of central Indianapolis.

Learn more, schedule a tour or secure your spot today!

*To Learn More About our Reggio Emilia Inspired Curriculum, please click here.

Classroom Volunteers

St. Mary’s is always in need of volunteers who are willing to spend time with the children in the classroom during the morning or afternoon sessions.  Volunteers can help with art projects, reading, field trips, and many other activities. We look forward to being able to welcome volunteers back to the classroom as soon as it's safe to do so.

Special Event Volunteers

St. Mary’s also needs volunteers for their special events.  These events include:  Spring Soiree, Raffle, Golf Outing, and Night of Miracles.  Volunteers can help with event logistics, silent auctions, registration, beverage carts, etc.

Facility Volunteers

St. Mary’s also needs volunteers who are willing to help out with the up keep of our two buildings.  This may include yard work, painting, cleaning, playground repair, etc.

Please let us know if you have a special talent that you would like to share with us.  We are always looking for individuals who can teach the children a new talent or update our landscaping.  If you have a talent, St. Mary’s can use it to benefit these special children.

Thank you for taking the first step in deciding whether a planned gift to St. Mary’s Child Center is something you want to explore. You’ve come to the right place—gathering as much information as possible is a critical component in the process of making this decision.

We’ve created this webpage and tutorial to help guide you through this process, answer as many questions as possible, and provide the right opportunity to help you make a decision that will not only benefit St. Mary’s for generations to come, but also create a lasting legacy for yourself and your family within St. Mary’s.

Explore

The programs and mission that we carry out at St. Mary’s every day are only possible because of the sincere generosity and belief in our donors. In light of that, there is a multitude of ways and options in which your gift will be able to be used by St. Mary’s to it’s full potential.

There are many factors that play into making a donation to St. Mary’s. Your gift can take multiple forms and benefit SMCC in many different ways.  This is just a small list of the questions that can get you started:

• Do you want to make a significant contribution during your lifetime or would a gift from your estate benefit your family better?
•  Is most of your money in qualified retirement plans or taxable accounts?
• Do you hold highly appreciated stock?
• Is real estate a large portion of your net worth?
• Do you have excess life insurance that is paid up but not necessarily needed for your family’s well-being?

Giving Wisely

There are many ways you can make a tax deductible contribution including charitable trusts, annuities and life insurance.  We have several vehicles available to allow your gift to benefit St. Mary’s Child Center in your memory.  Please consult with your tax advisor if you are considering one of these.  For more information, please contact Shannon Mason at Email.

To donate a gift of stock, please review these instructions.

Donations in 2020 can receive additional tax benefits. Click here for more information.

Professional Advisors Webinars

St. Mary’s Child Center is recording webinars to help individuals understand the tax benefits of planned giving.  We will continue to record and post these webinars on a regular basis.

• The seminar main topics presented in this webinar include: Key Changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Changes to Itemized Deductions and Ethical pitfalls for Professional Advisors serving on Boards. 

The following webinars are available:

• This webinar looks in depth at Charitable Trusts and the benefits available. Shark Fin CLATS are also explained.
• This webinar looks at the key concepts of an IRA and the benefits available.
• The main topics presented in this webinar include: Key Changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Changes to Itemized Deductions and Ethical Pitfalls for Professional Advisors serving on Boards.

The Emerging Leaders is a group composed primarily of individuals between the ages of 22-40 who wish to become more involved in the fabric of St. Mary’s.  This group holds events throughout the year designed around raising awareness about St. Mary’s and providing the organization with a constant influx of fresh ideas and support.  These events are designed to be relatively inexpensive with an emphasis on having fun with others who share the same passion for improving the lives of young children.