St. Joseph Academy
Educating children to be successful lifelong learners and problem solvers.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our mission is to educate children to be successful life-long learners and problem solvers. We place emphasis on the whole child (Body, Mind, Spirit). We are guided by the Felician values for Ministry: Respect for Human Dignity, Compassion, Justice and Peace, Transformation, and Solidarity with People in Need We are known for our one academy two programs approach. We offer an Early Childhood Education Center for children 6 weeks - 4 years old and a K4-8th grade school. Located on Milwaukee’s southside, we serve nearly 600 children. We serve an at-risk population of children. Ninety percent of our students fall into an ethnic minority category. Approximately,44% of our students are English Language Learners. All students are eligible for free lunch. We are recognized for excellence. Our Early Childhood is a 5 Star Young Star rated NAC accredited program and our K4-8th grade is accredited with through WRISA & Cognia.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Early Childhood Education Center
We are two programs, one Academy.
Our Early Childhood Education Center holds the highest YoungStar Acceditation Rating of 5 stars through YoungStar and is accredited through the National Accreditation Commission (NAC). SJA is 1 of 46 in Milwaukee County to have NAC Accrediation.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER
Infant & Toddler Program
Our program provides infants and toddlers with a loving, nurturing environment that supports them physically, educationally and emotionally. We read, sing songs, climb stairs, explore the world around us and develop self-help skills. Our teachers are committed to working with you as your child embarks on the first steps of learning and exploring the world!
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Social-Emotional Development, Cognitive Development, Physical Development, Literacy and Language Development and Fine Motor Skills Development
Pre-School Program
At this age, children are learning, exploring, making friends and even starting to take the first steps toward reading. Curiosity and imagination are where learning begins. Toddlers are movers and we channel their energy and excitement into meaningful early education learning experiences. As children’s mobility grows, we give them plenty of room to move and discover. We also guide them towards developing new physical skills and achieving emerging milestones.
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Social-Emotional Development, Cognitive Development, Physical Development, Literacy and Language Development.
K4-8th Grade
We offer a rigorous academic approach to learning with a focus on the whole child. We use the EL Education model for learning. Understanding that students need more than the core academics to fully develop, we offer Art, Music, Faith Formation, Physical Education & Library. We also focus on nutrition for our students preparing all meals in-house and participating in the Fresh Fruits & Vegetable program.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL K4-5th Grade
In our elementary program, our students learn to tackle big concepts in reading, writing, math, and science, building a strong academic foundation while also developing important social skills. We nurture the innate curiosity, wonder and desire to learn in each child.
MIDDLE SCHOOL 6th-8th Grade
Our Middle School program curriculum has been developed to help students understand advanced math concepts, use the scientific method, and read across genres as they prepare for further education and transition into leaders in their community.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement 2009
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Early Childhood Education Center
Goal 1: The ECEC will strengthen the professional development training for staff to better utilize Creative Curriculum and TS GOLD. This will be achieved by seeing an increase in participation from families and in-kind entries and by utilizing reports in TS Gold that show areas of Development and Learning that the ECEC children are struggling with that Teachers may need additional training in to provide that support to the children.
Goal 2: The ECEC will maintain a rigorous and data-driven learning environment using TS Gold Online.
K4-8th Grade
Our overarching goal is to use EL Education teaching and curriculum to produce successful students. To realize our goal, we focus on student excellence in three core areas: Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character and High Quality work. When students complete their academic career and enter adult life, they will be judged not by performance on basic skills tests—but rather, by the quality of their work and the quality of their character. This premise serves as the foundation for increasing student engagement and elevating and expanding student achievement.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
ECEC GOAL 1 STRATEGIES -
1. Staff will attend an interactive courses for the purposes and benefits of formative assessment in early childhood programs
2. All children will be added into TS GOLD
3. By the 30th of every month, all child documentations are entered by staff.
4. Child checkpoints are entered quarterly. (11/15, 2/15, 5/15, and 8/15)
ECEC GOAL 2 STRATEGIES -
1. Staff will be able to describe the 6 steps of active supervision and why they are important.
2. Staff will be able to explain how to apply the 6 steps when there are changes in routines and specific environments.
3. Staff will be able to identify how to use the steps along the developmental progression for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
4. Staff will be able to explain how to plan for and modify steps within different settings and when changes in routines occur.
K4 - 8TH GRADE GOAL 1 STRATEGIES -
1. Provide Crew habits of students framework per grade level.
2. Principal & AP will model the Crew in staff meetings and provide time to reflect on thoughts and actions during Crew.
3. Principal & AP will provide feedback on Crew delivery.
4. Student Connection Activity, 9/28, mid, end.
5. Providing examples like videos or testimonials from other schools about their approach and outcomes.
6. Student Survey distributed twice annually.
7. 2 x 10 Strategy for "under the radar" students. 2 minutes a day for 10 days targeted out reach. Each staff member to one student.
K4-8TH GRADE GOAL 2 STRATEGIES -
1. Principal & AP model CFU's at staff meetings and grade level meetings.
2. Build on exit ticket foundation.
3. Reflect on Target/Task alignment.
4. Provide Reflection questions.
5. Possibly engage in a standards study.
6. Consider an internal video library with short examples of CFUs.
7. Conversations/check-ins with staff regularly.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
St. Joseph Academy believes that leadership matters. Great leadership leads to great success. Our internal leadership structure begins with a President and CEO who has vast experience in education and values and believes in the leadership team and staff to craft and meet our goals. Our Leadership Team consists of heads of 12 departments who, with input and strengths from their staff, craft strategic goals. Leadership team members report out monthly on progress that is achieved in reaching these goals and evaluate any changes needed. All 80+ staff within our organization are carefully and thoughtfully hired for their talents, skill sets and fit with in the organization. Staff are expected to lead in their classrooms, in Crew, on committees, etc. Everyone has a voice and everyone has the opportunity to lead within our organization. We strive to provide a positive, values based environment. We are passionate about developing the whole child and we go all out to ensure that we succeed.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We are making progress on all of our Goals and Check Points and continue to expand on them as needed. The Early Childhood program has had to limit enrollment due to staff shortages and the program is regularly operating with a waiting list. Our K4-8th grade students have returned to in-person learning and with everyone working together, we are pleased to know that we are accomplishing our goals and remaining true to our mission of educating our children to be lifelong learners and problem solvers in a Catholic faith based environment.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
St. Joseph Academy
Board of directorsas of 08/04/2022
Mary Binder
Tech Mahindra (Americas) Inc.
Dr. Leslie Hertz
Ascension All Saints Campus
James Lubawski
Lubawski & Associates
James Schultz
St. Anthony
Joanne Diaz
Divine Savior Holy Angels High School
Blanca Arena Baez
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Norman McGee
Neighborhood House
Terry Schweizer
Felician Services
Tabia N. Jones
St. Joseph Academy
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/04/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.