We offer full and half-day programs with before and aftercare available.
Our curriculum is designed to meet the Illinois Early Learning Standards.
“Standards are an essential first step for designing effective preschool curricula since they represent an agreed upon agenda for teaching and learning. The Illinois Early Learning Standards are excellent because they recognize the interconnectedness of emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development and learning – the whole child. Like all good standards they should be used as the base for reflective teachers as they create learning experiences that build on what children already know and capture their interest in learning.”
Barbara Bowman, Erikson Institute
The standards are organized to parallel in content the Illinois Standards for K – 12 education. Areas of learning include Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Physical Development, Health, Fine Arts, Foreign language, and Social Emotional Development.
Each child is unique. Each child grows and develops skills and competencies at their own pave. Children’s play is a highly supportive context for development and learning. The environment provides opportunities for children to explore materials, engage in activities, and interact with peers and adults to construct their own understanding of the world around them. There is a balance of child initiated and teacher initiated activities to maximize learning.
Resources: Illinois Early Learning Standards, Illinois State Board of Education, Division of Early Childhood Education
Our religious curriculum is Christ Our Life series, God the World. The Christ Our Life pre-school program develops religious awareness in 4 year old children by capitalizing on their natural sensitivity and wonder. It is designed to teach pre-schoolers to know and love God by focusing on the world God has created. Classroom visits and instruction by Father Riordan give the children an opportunity to interact with our parish priest and enhances the religious education program. The children attend the all school mass on Tuesday and Fridays and prayer and scripture are daily activities.
Resource: Christ Our Life series, Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio
Just a few of the hands on developmentally appropriate activities we enjoy are:
Animals – Jiving in the Jungle
Pumpkins, Spiders and Trees
Native Americans – cooking a feast
Gingerbread People – making gingerbread house
We are Alike – We are Different
Oceans – Beaches
Embryology – hatching chicks
Butterflies & Ladybugs – hatching butterflies and ladybugs
Core concepts such as shapes, colors, alphabet and numbers are integrated in our units. Pre-K attends and participates in Library, Computer, Physical Education and Music.
Learning Centers are also part of the curriculum. Learning Centers offer children the opportunity to learn, explore, and create to develop the essential early childhood concepts and skills. Many of the center activities reinforce religion and large group activities introduced. Children “work” through their “play”. Children often choose to “work” in a center over and over until they feel they have mastered a particular skill. For example, a child may choose the art center for several days because they are learning to cut with scissors however; they may continue to choose the art center to cut and cut and cut until they fell they have mastered cutting. Children are encouraged to choose new centers so they can master new skills.
Learning Centers
Learning Center |
Activity |
Purpose |
Dramatic Play |
Role Play |
To promote language development, vocabulary development. Sharpen social skills. |
Table Toys |
Puzzles Tile Boards Lacing Shapes Sorting |
To develop eye-hand coordination. To develop hand & finger strength. Encourage pre-math skills. Sharpen shape & color concepts. |
Block Area |
Building Structures |
Sharpen shape & color concepts. Promotes creativity & sorting. Encourages pre-math skills. |
Quiet Area |
Stories Songs Flannelboard |
Develops short & long term memory. Increases attention span. Promotes vocabulary development. Encourages pre-literacy skills. |
Discovery Table |
Sand Rice Water |
Pre-math skills by measuring & sorting with different materials. |
Art Center |
Scissors Drawing Painting Playdough |
Promotes creativity. Develops fine motor and eye-hand coordination. |
Writing Center |
Writing Reading Typing |
Promotes pre-literacy skills. |
Discovery God’s World |
Puzzles Art Games |
Develops eye-hand coordination, creativity and pre-literacy. |