How Redeemer Parish Day School became a full early childhood school
By Sara Engram, former award-winning journalist with The Baltimore Sun
“Redeemer is a gift we will never forget,” says Rachael Habash.
Her younger daughter, Nora, is a 2025 graduate of Redeemer Parish Day School’s third grade. She’s happy in her new school. She’s thriving.
And yet, at least once a week, she still asks the same question: Why doesn’t Redeemer go past third grade?
For Rachael and her family, Redeemer was never meant to be a long-term plan. In the fall of 2020, like many families navigating uncertainty, they were looking for an in-person kindergarten option for Nora.
Redeemer was one of the few early childhood programs able to offer that stability during the height of the pandemic. It felt like a practical choice, one they assumed would last a year or two before transitioning back to their neighborhood public school.
But something unexpected happened. Nora didn’t just “attend” Redeemer. She flourished.
“She loved being seen and loved for who she is,” Rachael says.
The school’s small size meant no one got lost in the crowd. Teachers knew Nora well. She felt safe, valued, and confident.
Because Nora has a late birthday for her age group, the family decided to enroll her in the pre-first program after kindergarten. By the end of that year, Rachael says, “there was no going back.”
Nora’s story is echoed by many Redeemer parents over the past several years.
Families arrived looking for a short-term solution and stayed because they found something deeper: a school that understands early childhood education not as a brief phase to rush through, but as a critical, formative season worth honoring in full.
Colleen Krisulevicz and her husband discovered Redeemer in much the same way. In the fall of 2023, they were hoping to find a dynamic kindergarten experience for their son, Avery.
Friends pointed them toward Redeemer. When they visited, they were struck by the small classes, the significant time spent outdoors, and the school’s calm, confident approach to learning.
“We love the pace,” Colleen says. “It’s the right fit for our family. The teachers have a firm grip on their teaching methods, and they execute them very well.”
That intentional pace is no accident. Research shows that nearly 90 percent of brain development happens between birth and third grade. These are the years when children build foundational academic skills, as well as confidence, curiosity, emotional resilience, and a sense of belonging.
Redeemer’s decision to focus on the full sweep of early childhood, from age 2 through third grade, reflects a deep commitment to meeting children where they are and growing alongside them.
That commitment shaped Redeemer’s recent expansion into the elementary grades.
“People had always asked why we didn’t expand,” says Catherine Wyatt, a Redeemer teacher of more than a decade. After Covid, when many public schools remained virtual, Redeemer stayed open, taking advantage of the school’s large campus for moving as much instruction as possible outside.
When the school offered a first grade for the 2021–2022 school year, it filled quickly. The same thing happened when second grade was added the following year, and again with third grade.
Importantly, growth did not dilute the school’s spirit. It strengthened it.
“The school’s sense of community has grown,” Wyatt says. Today, Redeemer students cheer on the Redeemer Racers soccer team. The whole school gathers to watch the Racers take on the staff just before Thanksgiving each year.
In the spring, all three elementary grades join together to produce a musical, with roles for everyone. Older students step naturally into leadership, gaining confidence as they become the “big kids” in a small, supportive school.
As Wyatt notes, there is great value in the experience of being a “big fish in a small pond.”
By third grade, students know their school well. They are comfortable speaking up, taking initiative, and supporting younger classmates. They leave Redeemer not only academically prepared, but socially confident and emotionally grounded.
Just as important, Redeemer knows where its work ends – and why.
The school stops at third grade on purpose. Its role is not to carry children indefinitely, but to give them a strong foundation during the most sensitive and formative years of development.
When students move on, they are ready for what comes next. Typically, that is a balanced mix of public schools, independent schools, and parochial schools.
Redeemer Parish Day School’s growth is also deeply connected to its relationship with the Church of the Redeemer. Established in 1951 as an extension of the parish’s educational and pastoral mission, the Day School remains woven into parish life.
Weekly chapel services, shared celebrations throughout the year, and service initiatives reflect a partnership based in mutual care and purpose.
Today, the Redeemer campus is filled 173 days a year with the sounds of children learning, playing, and growing together. For families like Nora’s and Avery’s, the years pass quickly, but the impact lasts.
Nora won’t see Redeemer expand beyond third grade. But she will carry its gifts with her: the confidence that comes from being seen and known for who she is, and a love for learning nurtured in a community that helped her become herself.
And that may be Redeemer’s greatest measure of growth.