St. Jerome Early Childhood Center

St. Jerome Early Childhood Center is a preschool in Largo, FL, serving children ages two through four, including participants in Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program. The school operates with morning and afternoon care beyond its core program hours of 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and holds a rating of 4.90. It supports families seeking a faith-based early education grounded in Catholic tradition, partnered closely with parents to guide children during the earliest years of learning.

The school opened in the fall of 1990 in response to local families looking for a quality preschool experience and is supported by St. Jerome Parish. It first earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) in 1993 and pursues reaccreditation every five years. Beyond NAEYC accreditation, the school holds Gold Seal designation and is licensed by the Pinellas County License Board. The program is built around active, play-based learning, with an Outdoor Classroom for hands-on exploration, research-based curriculum, and low student-to-teacher ratios. Teachers intentionally design experiences that build curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving, while also weaving in prayer and the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for ages two, three, and four. The center is also a provider under the MCCYN program, and admissions begin with personalized daily tours offered from 9:30 to 10:30 AM.

The school sits on Hamlin Boulevard, about 0.1 miles from Chester Ochs Park and roughly 0.8 miles from George C. McGough Nature Park. Walsingham Road is about half a mile away, with the Oakhurst Road and Indian Rocks Road intersections nearby, and the Pac N Send Largo post office is within three-quarters of a mile.

For more than three decades, St. Jerome Early Childhood Center has served Largo families through a Catholic, play-based program, holding NAEYC accreditation and Gold Seal recognition that place it among the more rigorously credentialed preschools in the area.