St. Louis officials on Wednesday said the city’s Community Development Administration is putting $544,887 behind the Good Shepherd Academy for Boys, an all‑boys preschool aimed at boys ages 3–5 in North St. Louis. Organizers describe the academy as the region’s first early‑learning center dedicated to young Black boys, anchored inside a broader place‑based redevelopment called the Show Me Family Zone. City and nonprofit leaders say the small program will zero in on early learning, social‑emotional development and kindergarten readiness.
How the project is being paid for
The award was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration, the Neighborhoods Transformation Grant includes $413,533 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and $131,345 in Community Development Block Grant dollars. The city lists the total project cost at about $1,012,481, with the remaining money expected from Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits, donations and local financing.
Foundation frames the academy as 'Preschool-to-Promise'
Cortaiga Collins, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Strengthening Families, said on the group’s website, “It’s easier to build strong boys than repair broken men,” and describes the Good Shepherd Academy for Boys as part of a “Preschool‑to‑Promise” strategy to interrupt the preschool‑to‑prison pipeline. The foundation already runs maternal‑health, diaper‑distribution and early‑learning programs in Hamilton Heights, Wells‑Goodfellow and the West End, and presents the academy as both culturally responsive and trauma‑informed. More on the foundation’s work is available at the Foundation for Strengthening Families.
Small enrollment, big ambitions
The academy is expected to enroll 20 boys and will sit within the five‑block Show Me Family Zone at Page and Hodiamont, according to the city. Officials scheduled a ceremonial check presentation for Thursday, April 16 at 10 a.m. at 5990 Page Blvd., with the physical groundbreaking at 5957 Page Blvd. City materials say the Zone will include adult daycare, expanded youth programming and other family supports intended to pull key services together in one place.
What the research says
National research on single‑sex schooling is mixed. A large meta‑analysis published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly found that the effects of early childhood programs do not consistently favor one gender. Education researchers have also warned that sex‑segregated programs can increase stereotyping and often lack rigorous, randomized evidence, according to Education Week. Supporters argue that targeted, high‑quality early interventions have shown long‑term gains for disadvantaged boys in some studies, but experts note that local design and execution ultimately determine whether a pilot program succeeds.
Backers of the Good Shepherd Academy describe it as a small, focused pilot meant to close early gaps and connect families with services, while skeptics may question whether public dollars should support sex‑segregated programming. City and foundation leaders say they plan to track school‑readiness and social‑emotional metrics as the project unfolds and to report results to stakeholders.
