Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center

It's delightful to see so many families making special arrangements to attend and, in some cases, volunteer at the annual ECC Farmers Market. The weather was ideal for this vibrant, sensory, and community-driven experience which featured a riot of colors and a menagerie of furry visitors.

The ECC Farmer’s Market is underway! We look forward to hosting you! Shout out to Farmer Busby, our students, staff, PTO and community for the support! !

It's never too soon to think about a child's orientation toward the working world.

Recently, the MRH ECC held another in a series of Career Days for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. Holding a career day for our youngest learners provides significant value by sparking curiosity, broadening their awareness of the working world, and connecting school to real-world possibilities. At this age, the focus is on planting seeds of interest rather than formal career planning, helping them understand "why" they learn. We are grateful to those parents and community members who participated, including representatives from AT&T, Walgreens, Pepsi, World Wide Technology, GMA Architects, State Farm and more.

Some people light up a room. But Missouri author Kate Klise lit up the entire gymnasium during her presentation today at the MRH Early Childhood Center. Klise is a prolific and award-winning writer of children's books, including her latest titled "How Mr. Silver Stole the Show." It's the true story of a small gray kitten that wandered into the Hamilton Hotel in St. Louis two days before the Greater St. Louis Cat Show in 1947. A stray cat. A fancy hotel. A serious contest for pedigreed cats. You'll have to read the book to believe how it ends!
Thank you for the lively program today!
https://www.kateklise.com/

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Today our SEL team wore blue to bring awareness! Our school is a safe place for every student but we know that keeping children safe is a job for the whole community. Every child deserves a childhood that is happy and free from worry. When we look out for one another and help families who are struggling we make our entire neighborhood stronger and safer for the children. Sending a shout out to our ECC SEL Team who work alongside me for this cause that is near and dear to my heart.

Photo of those left to right:

Dr. Tanisha Stanciel, Principal
Kristin Corrigan, Social/Emotional Teacher
Kaylene Portell, Social Worker
Dori Busby, 1/2 Counselor
Dr. Bo Ricker, Assistant Principal
Batrice Jackson, PreK/K Counselor

Not pictured Valerie Seppanen, Youth in Need and Rachel West, Social Work Intern

The nomination below speaks for itself! We want to shine a spotlight on Ms. Batrice Jackson, our PreK/K counselor! Our students, staff and families are glad to have her in our corner. Congrats on your well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations to Batrice Jackson, of the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center, for being nominated for the 2026 Early Childhood H.E.R.O Award for the 2026 Early Educators Appreciation Event St. Louis!

Nominated by Katie Kauffman, she shared, "Ms. Batrice Jackson is the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center Counselor serving students Prek to 2nd grade.

Ms. Jackson is masterful in building meaningful partnerships with parents and students, ensuring open lines of communication and creating supportive environments where concerns are resolved with care and professionalism. She works collaboratively with counselors at the older grade levels, ensuring continuity for families. This kind, empathetic guidance assures families they have an ally in their child’s educational and personal development. At times, we must deliver difficult news to families, and she is willing to take the additional time to help families understand how their child may be experiencing difficulties that may be prevalent for the first time as the students are now beginning their educational journey.

She takes pride in our career day. This day is typically held in April, and she continues to build partnerships with parents and community businesses to expose our students to various career fields. Each year, this event grows, and our students look forward to learning more about each career field to inspire them as they continue through their educational journey. "

Congratulations from our team: Limitless Horizons, LUME Institute, Nine PBS, Ready Readers, RISE, SouthSide Early Childhood Center, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis Public Library, Gateway Early Childhood Alliance, Divine Events, Turn the Page STL, United 4 Children, and Urban Sprouts!

IMPORTANT ADVISORY FOR MRH ECC FAMILIES: During afternoon pickup today, Tuesday, March 31, drivers must approach the school by using Comfort Avenue to access Burgess Avenue. When leaving the ECC parking lot, drivers must exit with a right turn only on Burgess to Laclede Station Road. These temporary routes are necessary due to ongoing repairs of a ruptured water main. Watch for messages from the Principal regarding any necessary changes for Wednesday morning arrival.

As the State Representative for Missouri’s 83rd House District, which includes Brentwood, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Shrewsbury, and portions of Affton, Ray Reed never skips an invitation to visit our school buildings. Today, he spent time with ECC Principal Dr. Tanisha Stanciel and High School Principal Nicole Huffman. Also along for the High School tour was senior student Vera Pantazis, who met the legislator at Thursday night's school board candidates forum and insisted he come back for a tour.