March 20, 2017

Meet Julie Zaring of Saint Victor’s Preschool in West Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Zaring.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Julie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In late 2006 Monsignor Murphy, the (former) Pastor of Saint Victor Church had the idea of starting a preschool. He saw the need in West Hollywood (and the surrounding areas) for an affordable, quality, Christian based preschool program for children ages 2-5. He researched existing programs and decided that Saint Victor’s Preschool’s tuition rates would be half the price of everyone else. He saw this as a way of helping the communities of West Hollywood, Hollywood and mid-city by making affordable childcare available to everyone — not just Christians (Saint Victor’s Preschool accepts children of all religions).

As Saint Victor’s preschool is a non-profit program with little funds allocated for advertising, our overall success over the years has been achieved through word of mouth. We are so humbled that former and current families are so happy with our program that they feel the need to share their happiness!!

Today we are proud to say our program is doing better than ever! Our beloved Pastor Monsignor Jeremiah T. Murphy passed away on March 1, 2017 — while we are all saddened by his passing, we take comfort in the fact that he lived to see his dream become a reality. His spirit will continue to guide the preschool in the many years to come.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with any new business — our beginning was not easy. It proved a struggle to gain initial enrollment and we began by passing out flyers in West Hollywood Park. The preschool went through growing pains as well in regards to curriculum and finding the best religious/spiritual curriculum to implement.

Saint Victor’s Preschool – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We, the administration/staff of Saint Victor’s Preschool, dedicate ourselves to providing an environment in which we may nurture the spiritual, cognitive, psychological, social, physical and aesthetic potential in each of our preschool students. Furthermore, we believe that each child is a unique, creative, and responsive person who grows and learns through interaction with others in an atmosphere of faith, thereby fostering true Christian living. In a positive, caring and supportive environment, therefore, we work to facilitate the development of our preschool students as caring, productive, and responsible members of their church and community.

Saint Victor’s Preschool is a Catholic institution which assists parents in laying down a solid moral and academic foundation, thus fostering in the children, self-confidence, love of neighbor and love of God through prayer, play and study.

We are most proud of being a Catholic institution which assists parents in laying down a solid moral and academic foundation, thus fostering in the children, self-confidence, love of neighbor and love of God through prayer, play and study.

I believe our program is unique in regards to our belief that you can achieve a quality program at an affordable price.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.

Monsignor Murphy’s dream was to create a preschool that welcomed children of any/all religions, had the highest quality Catholic/Christian based program and was affordable. Eleven years later, Saint Victor’s Preschool has earned a reputation for being affordable, friendly, and most importantly having a quality program which incorporates religion, academics and play based activities into our daily curriculum.

When our children are happy, learning and thriving — that is the greatest marker of success for us!

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