Guidance Preparatory Academy

Guidance Preparatory Academy offers hands-on activities in an inclusive, faith-based setting, including daily open-play centers and activities, outdoor playtime, and sensory-rich programs with blocks, art, and science discoveries. Children take part in daily Bible stories, daily Bible verses, and daily Bible lessons, along with Kids’ Kitchen, Little Yogi’s, and STEM Adventures. The learning center offers full, traditional values-based programs and summer camp and enrichment programs for infants through school-age children.

• Ages: 0–12 years old
• Schedule: Bartonville location hours: Monday–Friday, 6:30am–6:00pm

Guidance Preparatory Academy is an early childhood learning center and faith-based childcare and preschool center that describes itself as an exceptional learning center with extensive security measures in place. The program states that it offers a nurturing educational environment rooted in faith and aims to feel like a natural extension of home, with a safe, stimulating, and fun learning environment for infants through school-age children. Its mission focuses on building the strongest early learning foundation for children and nurturing the whole child socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually by blending academics and faith practices, using an age-appropriate curriculum centered on traditional values and a strong faith-centered foundation.

The program uses a traditional teaching approach to early childhood education with a faith-centered curriculum that includes both social-emotional and academic focus and character building through values rooted in Christian principles. The curriculum prioritizes letter sounds, child-friendly images, biblical content, challenging and engaging lessons, and carefully selected texts. All children participate in daily Bible lessons, and families of all religious, spiritual, and secular backgrounds are welcome in an inclusive community with both nonsecular and secular members.

Guidance Preparatory Academy describes its staff as highly trained and committed to ongoing education, including continuous professional development sessions, teacher training, and ongoing education support, and states that all teachers undergo comprehensive safety training. The program highlights expert teachers and staff, strong safety protocols, small class sizes for individual attention, and a strong parent-teacher partnership with an open-door communication policy. Families receive daily updates about children, have access to a Parent Portal, family resources, and email communication, and are offered bi-annual parent-teacher conferences.

Guidance Preparatory Academy became part of the Premier family in 2023, a transition that brought opportunities for community connections. Emily serves as the Director at Guidance Preparatory Academy and officially stepped into the role of Center Director in 2025. Emily was selected for the first class of Premier’s Future Leaders program in 2025.

A parent testimonial from the Berry family states that they have been sending their children to Guidance Preparatory Academy for the past 5 years, that they describe the staff as kind, caring, and invested in each child’s success, and that they appreciate the emphasis on Christian values and teachings and describe the environment as safe and nurturing.

Last updated February 2, 2026.