SouthSide—Downtown

SouthSide—Downtow is an innovative partnership between SouthSide Early Childhood Center and St. Louis Language Immersion School, Lafayette Preparatory Academy and Lift for Life Academy!

ABOUT ST. LOUIS LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOL

Established in 2007, St. Louis Language Immersion Schools, Inc. (“SLLIS”) is a not-for-profit language immersion charter public school located in the City of St. Louis in Missouri. SLLIS currently operates the following programs: the Chinese Program, the French Program, the Spanish Program, and the Middle School Program. At SLLIS, students are taught in their focus language whereby 50% of the core subjects (math, language arts, science, and social studies) are in the focus language with the goal of academic literacy and a gifted and talented level of rigor for all students. Classrooms are bilingual environments.

The mission of the St. Louis Language Immersion School, an innovative, diverse, socially-conscious, public charter school, is to develop empathetic, high-achieving, bilingual, globally-minded students by providing a rigorous academic foundation that fosters critical thinking and problem solving.

ABOUT St. Louis voices academy of media arts

St. Louis Voices Academy is a free, open-enrollment public charter school authorized by the Missouri Board of Education. It opened in the fall of 2023 with kindergarten and 1st grade and will grow to serve students in kindergarten through 5th grade. It is open to all students who reside within the boundaries of St. Louis City.

St. Louis Voices Academy believes that every child deserves a transformative learning experience. Through our unique and proven approach to educating children, we develop each student's agency to tell dynamic stories and excel in any space they occupy.

About LAFAYETTE PREPARATORY ACADEMY

Lafayette Preparatory Academy is a community that prepares all students for academic and collegiate success and equips them to enter the world as active, responsible, and involved citizens and leaders.

Lafayette Preparatory Academy (LPA) began with the vision in mind that living within the city could mean access to an excellent, free, public education for all students. It began because concerned community members, many of them city parents, wanted a different narrative for the Clinton-Peabody, Downtown, Lafayette Square, LaSalle Park, Soulard and surrounding neighborhoods. The founders of LPA believe in the core of our city and the importance of access to a rigorous, comprehensive education.

LPA has always been a labor of love and a true grassroots community effort. First and foremost, LPA is about community. Our philosophy is students first and centered on being part of the city, and having our students draw connections from the classroom to the real-world. We believe students should be critical consumers of knowledge and problem-solvers. Each day, we strive for our students to leave LPA with the tools to examine the world around them and make a positive impact to our community.

ABOUT LIFT FOR LIFE ACADEMY

In 2000, Lift For Life Academy (LFLA) became the first independent charter middle school to open in the City of St. Louis. Sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University, our Academy is centrally located at 1731 South Broadway, in the historic Soulard neighborhood.

The Academy, located in what was originally the Manfacturers Bank and Trust building, then later a Mercantile Bank, was established to provide an education to middle school students. It is now serving 720 students in grades K-3 and 6-12. The elementary school is a half block south (1920 South 7th Street) and classrooms for our sixth grade students are located across the street from our main building.

St. Louis city families choose Lift for Life Academy for their children as a creative and motivating alternative to public schools. Students are motivated to come to school – daily attendance averages 93% and LFLA maintains a graduation rate of 97%.

Our nurturing and stimulating approach to learning is what sets Lift For Life Academy apart. Whether the subject is fashion design, engineering or chemistry, we pride ourselves in our ability to reach and engage our students through a safe, compassionate and structured setting. At Lift for Life Academy, we accept that failure is not an option. We are dedicated to educating, empowering and uplifting the next generation of St. Louis citizens.

Partnership with SouthSide Early Childhood Center

After joining the St. Louis Pre-K Cooperative in 2020, SouthSide opened 2 preschool classrooms at St. Louis Language Immersion School. The work of the St. Louis Pre-K Cooperative is rooted in the notion that the St. Louis community can collectively work to deploy existing state pre-K funding through innovative and collaborative approaches. Through this partnership, staff are a part of the SouthSide team. Curriculum, classrooms, environment, and teacher ratios are the same as the Jefferson/Main location.

Southside—Downtown

Located at St. Louis Language Immersion School
1881 Pine Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

ENROLLMENT

Interested families must fill out an online application. Click here to apply. You will be prompted to create an account. Then choose "Pre-K Application 2024-2025" to begin the application.