Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park

Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park is located right off I-94 down the road from Concordia University and Allianz Field, on Dayton Avenue. We proudly serve families in:

• Hamline-Midway
• Merriam Park
• Summit-University
• Macalester-Groveland
• Highland Park
• Como Park
• Saint Anthony Park
• Summit Hill

Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

We close for New Year’s Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Yes, Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park is Cognia® accredited and an Approved Child Care Aware® Provider, reflecting our commitment to providing a high-quality early learning and care experience for every child. 

These recognitions mean our curriculum, teaching practices, health and safety procedures and family partnerships are regularly evaluated against outside standards, and re-evaluated on an ongoing basis to stay current. 

Accreditation is not a one-time achievement. It is an ongoing process of continuous improvement that helps ensure we deliver a nurturing, engaging and high-quality learning environment where children can thrive.

We follow the Balanced Learning® approach, exclusively developed by Primrose Schools®, to nurture the whole child intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. 

Through Balanced Learning®, our dedicated teachers create engaging learning experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion. 

By thoughtfully blending purposeful play, guided discovery and nurturing support, we help your child build the skills to learn, grow and thrive, from our Infant classroom through Kindergarten.

Each day, our caring teachers combine structured learning, purposeful play and rest into a rhythm suited to every age group, integrated with circle time, small-group lessons, Children’s Choice Learning Centers, meals and rest. 

At our school, children also enjoy additional enrichment experiences like soccer that inspire creativity, confidence and new skills.

School readiness starts in our Infant classroom and grows through every stage of our Balanced Learning® approach, with each year building the academic, social-emotional and life skills children need for future success.  

Using balanced assessments and ongoing teacher observations, we monitor each child’s development, individualize learning experiences and stay in close contact with families to support a confident transition to kindergarten and beyond.

No, our teachers partner one-on-one with each family to support potty training at your child’s own pace, keeping the routine consistent between school and home. 

Yes, Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park has large outdoor spaces featuring a safe infant playground, a cemented basketball court and an interactive vegetable garden patch, giving children daily outdoor time as part of their regular schedule. 

Our playgrounds are carefully monitored to ensure children can explore, play and learn safely. Staff remain actively involved in children’s play experiences, perform daily safety checks and maintain constant supervision. 

Ongoing environmental monitoring and weather-related precautions help create a secure outdoor experience for every child. 

Yes, we offer before- and after-school pickup from the following schools: Randolph Heights Elementary, EXPO Elementary, Nativity Elementary, Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Saint Thomas More Catholic Elementary, St. Peter Claver Catholic Elementary, Nova Classical Academy Elementary, Adams Spanish Immersion Elementary, Groveland Park Elementary and East African Magnet School Elementary. 

After school, your child heads straight into homework time, and there’s still plenty of the afternoon left for outdoor play before we close at 6:30 p.m. 

Of course! Our on-site chef prepares breakfast, lunch and snacks fresh each day in our own culinary kitchen, all part of our Balanced Menus. At Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park, breakfast might include a cheese omelet with milk. 

Our lunch menus include favorites like orange chicken over whole grain rice with fresh pineapple, giving children variety and proper nutrition throughout the week. 

All foods and meals are age-appropriate.

We work closely with each family to build an individualized plan, so your child eats safely and confidently at our school. 

Our teachers and kitchen staff are trained to accommodate peanut and tree nut allergies, milk and dairy allergies and egg allergies, as well as vegetarian diets. 

Our Balanced Learning® approach supports the whole child through purposeful play and nurturing guidance, paired with developmentally appropriate learning experiences. Through ongoing observations and differentiated instruction, our teachers tailor learning opportunities to support each child’s unique strengths, interests and stage of development. 

By balancing child-initiated exploration with teacher-guided learning, we help children build confidence, independence, creativity and essential academic and social-emotional skills at their own pace. 

When families partner with early intervention or specialized service providers, we welcome open communication and share what we’re seeing in the classroom to support the child’s experience.

Yes, Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park runs a detailed background check on every team member before they join our school, and each one renews CPR and first-aid certification on an ongoing basis. It’s the same requirement for every adult who works with your child here. 

Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park maintains teacher-to-child ratios that meet or fall below the requirements of the Minnesota Department of Human Services for every age group. 

Smaller ratios mean more one-on-one attention, so teachers have time to get to know your child individually.

Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park is licensed and regulated by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, which sets requirements for staff qualifications, health and safety and classroom ratios. 

We are also Cognia® accredited and an Approved Child Care Aware® Provider, additional layers of independent evaluation beyond state licensing.

Yes, medication administration at Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park is handled by our school leadership, who are trained to respond quickly and safely to each child’s needs. For any child with medical needs, leadership keeps an individualized care plan on file, so they know exactly how to respond. 

Primrose School of St. Paul at Merriam Park follows a Safe School Plan in every classroom, built to help our team stay calm and act fast whenever the need arises. Staff and children run through these drills once a month, and we share any updates with families right away. 

We use an app to keep families connected throughout the day, sharing photos, classroom activities, curriculum information, nap updates and diaper change and bathroom visit notifications. 

The app also supports two-way communication, so staying in touch with your child’s teachers is simple. 

We value open, ongoing communication and connect with families in person during drop-off and pick-up to talk through your child’s day, answer questions and share observations from the classroom.