The bright rays from the sun and the 90 plus degree temperatures did not dampen the enthusiasm of Alabama State University President Quinton T. Ross, Jr., Ed.D., and Co-Founder of Valiant Cross Academy (VCA)  Anthony Brock, Ed.D., as both announced a new partnership on Monday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m. on the lawn of the university’s Zelia Stevens Early Childhood Center.

VCA, a religious private school located in downtown Montgomery, will move its elementary students to the Zelia Stevens Early Childhood Center. The exact date of the move was not released, but officials close to the university indicated that VCA should be moving to the new location soon.

Both Ross and Brock explained the reasoning behind the historic partnership.

“Alabama State University has always been committed to advancing education at every level, and this historic partnership with Valiant Cross Academy represents a bold step in that mission,” Ross said. “By opening our doors to the next generation of learners, we are not only honoring the legacy of the Zelia Stephens Early Childhood Center but also affirming our responsibility to help nurture young minds, strengthen our community and build pathways to lifelong success. Together, ASU and Valiant Cross Academy are creating opportunities that will resonate far beyond our campus, inspiring excellence for years to come.”

“Partnering with Alabama State University to open Valiant Cross Academy on its camp us ranks as one of the most significant highlights of my life,” Brock said. “The support and love from my ASU family have profoundly impacted both me and the VCA community. I would not be the educator I am today without ASU.”

In addition, a large number of new students to VCA made the school realize they needed more space, which ultimately prompted the school to add the new ASU space to their campus.  VCA will use its new location to serve kindergarten, first and second grade this year, with plans to add third grade the following school year.  This step builds on the university’s history of community engagement and will open new opportunities for students, educators and the wider Montgomery community.

Through this collaboration, the university and Valiant Cross Academy will work together to:

• Serve as a living laboratory for training future educators, curriculum development, and community-based research in education.
• Strengthen community ties by collaborating on service projects and initiatives that align with both institutions’ missions.
• Provide space for the elementary school to be housed on the campus.
• Provide dual enrollment opportunities, enabling academy scholars to earn college credit while completing their high school education.
• Create pathways for Valiant Cross graduates to pursue higher education at the university with access to scholarships, internships and career readiness initiatives.

Brock, who began his own education at the Zelia Stephens Early Childhood Center, announced plans to expand their operations to a building at 1 Court Square, which is situated at the foot of Dexter Avenue. Initially, it was going to open for the 2025-26 school year, but plans to get the space for classes got delayed because of extra detail work needed, said Kimberly Baker, director of development and marketing at VCA.

“Anthony, of course, is a graduate of ASU, so when this space became available, I think it was pulling at his heart,” Baker said.  “Additionally, with our students being on a college campus through our partnership with Troy, which has worked beautifully for our older kids, it’s just never too early to get kids adjusted to their future. If we can have these young kids coming to a college campus every day and seeing what their future could be, it’s just … I feel like it’s a beautiful story.”

1 Court Square will serve as the home for VCA’s fourth and fifth-grade students once the space is ready in 2026, and the high school will continue to be housed at 136 Catoma St.

“Partnering with Alabama State University to open Valiant Cross Academy on its campus ranks as one of the most significant highlights of my life,” Brock said. “The support and love from my ASU family have profoundly impacted both me and the VCA community. I would not be the educator I am today without ASU.”