Guiding Star Preschool

What Guiding Star Preschool does

Guiding Star Preschool is a private, church-affiliated early childhood education provider operating as an outreach ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Raymore, Missouri. The organization serves families with preschool-age children (approximately 3 to 5 years old) who are completely potty trained, offering two distinct programs: a Full Time Care program for children 36 months through Pre-K operating Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 6:00pm year-round at $200 per week, and Partial Day Classes for children ages 3-5 meeting Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00am to 1:30pm at $195 per month following the Raymore Peculiar School District calendar. The curriculum is play-based, Christ-centered, and oriented toward kindergarten readiness, emphasizing social-emotional development, literacy, hands-on learning, and small-group instruction.

The business operates with approximately 5 employees drawn from a single headquarters location co-located at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, with no proprietary technology platform, no digital enrollment system, no mobile app, and no remote service delivery. Enrollment is handled directly via phone (816-322-3444), email ([email protected]), and downloadable forms from the website, with no digital marketing channel beyond the basic Wix/GoDaddy brochure website and community outreach through the church. The revenue model is purely subscription/recurring tuition (weekly or monthly billing) with two pricing tiers, and all marketing is conducted through word-of-mouth and church community networks.

The company's ownership structure is church-affiliated rather than investor-backed, with no venture capital, private equity, or institutional funding evident in the source data. The entity is operating (currently accepting enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year) but shows no signals of scale expansion, geographic growth, or strategic transformation; it functions as a stable, mission-driven local service business within a single Missouri submarket.

Name

Guiding Star Preschool

Legal name

Guiding Star Preschool

Website

https://guidingstarpreschool.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Guiding Star Preschool is a private, church-affiliated early childhood education provider in Raymore, Missouri, operating as an outreach ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and serving local families with preschool-age children through Full Time Care ($200/week) and Partial Day Classes ($195/month) programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA), Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool childcare services
• Faith-based education
• Kindergarten readiness programs
• Play-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Raymore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition - Full Time Care: Weekly tuition for full-time childcare services for children ages 36 months to Pre-K, operating Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 6:00pm year-round.
2. Tuition - Partial Day Classes: Monthly tuition for part-time preschool classes meeting Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 1:30, following the Raymore Peculiar School district calendar from end of August to mid-May.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Guiding Star Preschool is a private early childhood education provider offering Christ-centered, play-based preschool programming for children ages 3 to 5. The school operates as an outreach ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Raymore, Missouri, and delivers both full-time childcare and partial-day preschool classes to local families.

Product overview

Guiding Star Preschool offers two distinct childcare and preschool programs: Full Time Care for working families (36 months to Pre-K, year-round, Monday-Friday 6:30am-6:00pm at $200/week) and Partial Day Classes for part-time preschool readiness (ages 3-5, Tuesday/Thursday 9:00am-1:30pm, $195/month). Both programs follow a play-based, Christ-centered curriculum emphasizing developmentally-appropriate practices, hands-on learning, and whole-child development including social-emotional growth, literacy skills, and kindergarten readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Time Care Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bethlehem Lutheran ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuiding Star Preschool operates as an outreach ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The church provides the physical location, organizational infrastructure, and community connection for the preschool program. The preschool assists the church in its mission to serve families in the community.

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Large national operator of employer-sponsored childcare and early education centers. Relevant as a broad incumbent demonstrating the scalable childcare business model that Guiding Star operates in, though at vastly greater scale and with corporate backing.
• KinderCare Learning Companies: One of the largest U.S. for-profit early childhood education providers, offering full-day preschool and childcare across hundreds of centers. Comparable because it serves the same 3-5 year-old working-parent segment with full-day programs, though at national scale.
• Primrose Schools: Franchised network of private preschools offering a proprietary early-learning curriculum. Comparable as a private, tuition-funded preschool operator serving infants through Pre-K with full-day schedules, similar in customer segment to Guiding Star.
• The Learning Experience: National franchise of early childhood education centers serving infants through Pre-K with full-day and part-day programs. Operates in the same 3-5 year-old tuition-funded preschool market as Guiding Star, but at franchise scale.
• Goddard School: Franchised preschool system focused on play-based, developmental early childhood education for infants through Pre-K. Highly comparable private preschool competitor with similar play-based, tuition-based model targeting working parents.
• La Petite Academy: National chain of private preschools offering full-day care for infants through Pre-K with age-appropriate curricula. Directly comparable in customer segment (working parents of 3-5 year olds) and tuition-funded business model.
• Cadence Education: One of the largest U.S. operators of private early childhood education centers, running preschool and childcare programs nationwide. Relevant as a scaled incumbent in the same tuition-funded preschool category.

Emerging players

• Guidepost Montessori: Growing private Montessori preschool and childcare network with full-day programs. Comparable as a private, tuition-funded early childhood operator using a defined pedagogical approach, though its curriculum is Montessori rather than play-based and Christ-centered.

Regional players

• AppleTree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool: Multi-site private preschool and childcare operator primarily serving the Midwest region. Comparable as a tuition-funded, full-day preschool operator with a play- and curriculum-based approach similar in feel to Guiding Star's model.
• Primrose School of Raymore: Local franchise of the Primrose Schools brand serving Raymore and surrounding Cass County communities. The most directly comparable head-to-head local competitor to Guiding Star for tuition-paying families in the same catchment area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guiding Star Preschool