Nurturing growing minds

We want to assure each parent that their child will be placed in a room that is best suited for them individually, one that encompasses their physical, emotional and social needs. At each stage, we provide classrooms that provide the specific nurturing and encouragement that children thrive in.

For more information on how to become a part of the Ardent family, call today to schedule a tour at any of our daycare campuses!

Childcare picture of an infant playing with bubbles at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Birmingham and Huntsville Alabama
Infant in childcare bouncy seat at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama
Infant in childcare learning letters at Ardent Preschool and Daycare Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama

Infants

We designed the infant childcare rooms at Ardent to make the transition for both parent and child as smooth as possible!  We’ve created a safe, “feels like home” environment that enables us to love and nurture your infant as we seek to meet their individual needs. We offer 3 different infant classes to best suit your child both developmentally and emotionally.

INFANT 1

6 WEEKS — 6 MONTHS 

Our Infant 1 room is best suited for babies who are in the age range of 6 weeks – 6 months.  To provide the appropriate care for your child, napping and feeding schedules are initially on demand (as needed).  At 3 months, we begin transitioning them to a more scheduled day, including two set nap times as well as gradually introducing them to tummy time.  Every room has a social space where babies can see their friends and are engaged by the teachers through songs and play. 

INFANT 2

6 MONTHS — 12 MONTHS

Our Infant 2 room is best suited for babies who are between 7 months – 13 months.  This is a fun and busy stage for babies as they begin to demonstrate their mobility. Our rooms are designed to accommodate not only this increased movement but also their increased interest in everything around them. The infant 2 room has a social space where babies can visit with one another and are engaged by the teachers through songs and play. We also introduce basic sign language to enable the babies to communicate with their teachers and parents!

INFANT 3

12 MONTHS — 18 MONTHS

Our Infant 3 room is best suited for babies between 10 months – 16 months.  There is a slight overlap in age between this room and Infant 2 and the reason is simply so we can best accommodate your child.  Developmental milestones are met differently with each child and we want to make sure that those babies who are expressing an interest in walking get the opportunity to practice!  Infant 3 is also designed to introduce your child to a more structured feeding, napping, and play schedule.  Sign language is continued to be used and taught and we even begin exposing the children to the wonderful world of the alphabet and numbers!

Don’t be intimidated by the task of finding the best infant-care for your baby. Use this comprehensive checklist to assist you in finding out what matters most.

Toddlers in childcare digging in rice box at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama
Toddler in childcare playing on playground at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama
Toddler in childcare painting with toy car on letter c at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama

Toddlers

WOBBLERS

14 MONTHS — 20 MONTHS

Our Wobbler childcare room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 13 months – 21 months and are walking with little to no assistance as well as beginning to express their desire for independence! While the children in this room get plenty of time to exercise their bodies, we also are committed to excellence when it comes to exercising their minds!  We begin using the A Beka curriculum with our Wobblers and we provide daily instruction in letters, numbers, and language development. While we still use sign language in this class, we really encourage the children to begin communicating through the use of words and that comes naturally through the constant teacher interaction.  At Ardent, our goal is always to make learning fun!

EXPLORERS

16 MONTHS — 24 MONTHS

Our Explorers room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 16 months – 26 months and are full of life and exploration! Our Explorer teachers are trained to provide structured instructional times using the A Beka curriculum which focuses on recognition of letters and numbers, as well as phonetic sounds, while also increasing and exercising each child’s language development. We also introduce children to the potty in the Explorers class and our parents are always pleasantly surprised at what consistency and positive reinforcement can do!

TODDLERS

2 YEARS — 2 1/2 YEARS

Our Toddler room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 24 months – 33 months.  We begin to teach simple concepts such as “love your neighbor as yourself” as well as intentional instilling of good classroom habits and manners. The instructional times during class are centered on the A Beka curriculum which teaches recognition of letters and numbers, as well as phonetic sounds, while also encouraging fine motor skills by introducing how to write each letter. With a transition to pull-ups, potty training becomes a central part of the day in the Toddler room.

BEGINNERS

2 1/2 YEARS — 3 1/2 YEARS

Our Beginner room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 30 months – 39 months.  We continue to emphasize concepts such as “love your neighbor as yourself” as well as promoting good classroom habits and manners through positive reinforcement. The instructional times during class are centered on the A Beka curriculum which teaches recognition of letters and numbers (and counting), as well as phonetic sounds and an introduction to sounding out blends (a consonant followed by a vowel). Potty training remains a central part of the day in the Beginner room and usually every child is completely potty trained by the time they move up to the next class!

Childcare lesson at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama
Childcare splash pad at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama
Childcare student coloring at Ardent Preschool and Daycare in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama

Preschool

INTERMEDIATE

3 YEARS — 4 YEARS

Our Intermediate room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 36 months – 48 months (3-4 years).  Beginning in this room, children receive daily Bible instruction which is taught by the Director. The instructional times during class remain centered on the A Beka curriculum which continues to build on the foundational recognition of letters and numbers (and counting), as well as encouraging mastery of phonetic sounds and sounding out blends (a consonant followed by a vowel).  We also begin small group reading circles in the Intermediate class which provides each teacher the opportunity to devote daily time working with each child. 

ADVANCED

3 1/2 YEARS — 4 1/2 YEARS

Our Advanced room is best suited for children who are in the age range of 40-50 months (3½ – 4 years). Children receive daily Bible instruction which is taught by the Director. The instructional times during class are centered on the A Beka curriculum which continues to build on the foundation of recognition of letters and numbers (and counting), as well as encouraging mastery of phonetic sounds and sounding out one vowel words through our small group reading circles.  Children continue to master the skill of writing the alphabet and learn to write their names.  This room is designed more for the child who is in need of a challenge but isn’t quite old enough for the PreK room.

PRE-K1 / PRE-K2

4 YEARS — 5 YEARS

Our Pre-K rooms are best suited for children who are in the age range of 45-60 months (4-5 years). These classrooms provide daily Bible and catechism instruction which is taught by the Director. The instructional times during class remain centered on the A Beka curriculum and we teach and encourage a mastery of reading one and two vowel words. Our small reading groups take the children through little readers which get sent home upon completion. The children in this room are also introduced to basic math concepts, as well as writing numbers and counting to 100.

KINDERGARTEN

5 YEARS— 6 YEARS

Our Kindergarten program is for children who meet the age requirement of turning 5 years old by September 1. Children continue to excel academically with A Beka’s Advanced Kindergarten Curriculum and Saxon Math.  Most of our Kindergarten students read at a 2nd grade level and place in the upper 90th percentile on their SAT scores.