Haven for Children

from Elegant Island Living May 2016

by Elegant Island Living Media Group

Every Menu Has a Story

In 2008, Southport Academy, a private Christian pre-school serving children from ages six weeks to four years old (Pre-K), opened its doors on Southport Parkway, adjacent to Satilla Marsh Elementary School, in Southwest Glynn County. What had started out for Patrice and Jonathan Havens as a quest to find quality pre-school care for their sons actually resulted in them opening a pre-school of their own to provide exactly the type of safe and loving Christian environment they sought. “It was the most exciting, yet frightening thing we had ever done,” says Patrice, who serves as owner and director.

It was a proverbial leap of faith for Patrice and Jonathan, but it was, it seems, the right thing to do. In the school’s seven and a half years in operation, they have employed a staff of 15 and consistently enroll more than 75 children annually. But one thing the Havens family does not know how to do is leave well enough alone. So when Patrice received a call from a former parent who serves as an administrator of Lord of Life Lutheran Church on St Simons Island with an offer to bring Southport’s unique, yearround quality child care to one of their buildings, they knew it was destiny. Feeling a true calling, they said, “YES!” After quite a few meetings with the current Brunswick staff, the church, bankers, lawyers and their family, they took yet another leap of faith. Now with their two sons, Jackson and John Abbott, who are 13 and 9 yrs old, they rolled up their sleeves and spent 8 months of late nights and weekends jumping through every hoop they had to and opened Southport Academy at Lord of Life Lutheran Church on St. Simons Island.

With a caring loving staff, wonderful children and their families, and a special new partnership with Lord of Life Lutheran Church, the school is open to great reviews and serving even more families than it had been for the past seven plus years.

For more information about Southport Academy or to schedule a tour, call 912.771.8946 for St. Simons Island, or 912.264.5554 for Brunswick, or email info@southportacademy.com.