Offering a Comprehensive Program for Children Aged 3 to 5 to Help on Their Journey Through Pre-School
Welcome
The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts operate Villa Divino Amore Preschool as an integral part of a Catholic educational program and also as a service to the general community, regardless of race, nationality, sex, or creed.
Monsignor Francesco Maria Greco was the pastor of a poor but expanding parish in Acri, a town located in Calabria, Italy. In 1894, he petitioned several religious congregations to send Sisters to provide secular and religious education to the children of the town.
When every religious community refused his request, Monsignor Greco approached a devout catechist named Raffaella DeVincenti and asked for her assistance in starting a new religious congregation. Together, Monsignor Greco and Sister Maria Teresa Devincenti founded the religious community known as Le Piccole Operaie dei Sacri Cuori – The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
From its humble beginnings in Acri, the work of the congregation spread rapidly throughout Calabria, to Rome and northern Italy. Founded in charity and with a particular devotion to the poor, the congregation became actively involved in several apostolates – education (nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, high school), (university, and catechists); the staffing of orphanages and parish ministries; social work; and the care of the aged and the infirmed in hospitals and nursing homes.
Our Mission & Philosphy
The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts, operate Villa Divino Amore Preschool as an integral part of the Catholic educational program and also as a service to the general community, regardless of race, nationality, gender or creed.
The Sisters strive to provide quality care and learning opportunities to children in an atmosphere where Catholic values and Christian charity are evident. The Sisters thereby affirm their total commitment to the educational and emotional development of children and strive to provide an environment that nurtures the potential for discovery, learning and growth.
Villa Divino Amore Preschool is committed to the development of the whole child and fosters spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and physical development on several levels. In an environment where young children are made to feel loved, secure and self-confident, specially designed programs help to prepare children, in every possible way, for elementary school and beyond.
We believe that parents are the primary teachers of their pre-school child. We also recognize that parents offer us an awesome responsibility when they entrust their child to our loving care. Accordingly, each family is an integral part of our school structure, where interaction between parents, teachers and staff is considered an all important factor. We strive to work together for the successful development of each and every child.
Recent studies indicate that a quality preschool experience provides a lifetime of benefits to participants and the communities in which they live. For every $1.00 invested in educating a child between birth and age 5, $10.00 is returned in saved costs of remedial and special education, increased graduation rates, reduced drug and incarceration costs, and increased numbers of young citizens joining a skilled work force and participating in higher education opportunities. Early education is one of the most effective ways to close the achievement gap in our schools.
