CREVE COEUR, Mo. — Tucked away in Creve Coeur is an early childhood center where developing children of all abilities learn, play and grow together.

Good Shepherd School for Children is one of the last remaining all-inclusive preschools in the St. Louis area. It offers children of all abilities comprehensive programming and engaging approaches to learning.

“Our mission itself is to help each child reach his or her fullest potential,” said Daryl Rothman, president of Good Shepherd School for Children.

“A fundamental part of doing that is approaching them as unique learners. Whether they have a diagnosis or not, we adapt our program and our approach to the best of our ability to help them be successful.”

Licensed therapists can provide students with occupational, physical, speech and language, music, developmental and group therapies.

Julie Francois’ son, Max, was 2.5 years old when a teacher at Good Shepherd noticed he may have a developmental delay. With an autism diagnosis, the school helped the family navigate the transition to Special School District.

“We really do credit, Good Shepherd and the teachers for helping us catch that diagnosis,” Francois said. “He was our firstborn and we really didn't have anyone to compare him to, and so we didn't catch it.”

At 12 years old, Francois said Max is doing “really well” in school and with making friends.

Whether a student is waiting to be qualified for services or insurance rates are too high for parents, Good Shepherd says it will cover those extra costs.

“We were able to automatically start (Max) on some of the therapies at a discounted rate,” Francois said. “We got some costs cut so that we could start right away.”

Now serving as a board member, Francois said Good Shepherd takes into account paying faculty and staff a good salary while keeping costs low for parents.

“Having been on both sides of that coin, from a parent side and now from a board side, I think we're doing our best,” she said.

Lindsey Wheaton, director of early learning, said Good Shepherd is unlike other early childhood centers in St. Louis because of the way typical and special needs children are seamlessly integrated in the classroom.

Wheaton was a teacher at the school before transitioning to a director.

“I've been in this field for a while now and it's the first time that I could actually teach teachers and help them develop,” she said.

“If they can develop into a better teacher because of anything that I can do for them, that was my main reason for going from the classroom into this role.”

In the late 1990s, Tim McBride was searching for an early childhood center with a nurturing environment where his son Phillip could attend. He was diagnosed with autism at 18 months.

“It was important for us to have a place where he was safe and nurtured,” McBride said.

Shortly after being diagnosed, Phillip enrolled at Good Shepherd. Now, nearly 30 years later, he thriving as an adult.

 “He’s a real success story,” McBride said. “He just needed the direction and the assistance of teachers and his fellow classmates to just know how to behave and it all started (at Good Shepherd)."

As a professor of public health at Washington University and a previous member of St. Louis City’s Board of Health, McBride helped steer the school through COVID-19 rules and restrictions.

Over the holidays, the school community may see McBride in a red suit and hat, as he has been donating his time as a certified Santa Claus for nearly three decades.

For more information about Good Shepherd School for Children, visit the school’s website.