Curriculum
Your child deserves a high-quality learning experience.
This journey is filled with emotions, challenges, and opportunities for growth. You—as their most influential figure—play a central role in shaping this experience.
Research has shown that the most formative learning years are from birth to age five. Our Early Learning Centers, alongside our Early Learning Partners, do not take this lightly.
We strive to create a thriving and educational environment, giving your child the freedom to focus on interactive experiences during this important time in their little lives.
We also prioritize your child’s nutrition, providing well-balanced meals of breakfast, lunch, and a snack, following federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines. Of course, water is available all day as well.
Our approach consistently fosters happy and motivated young learners, bringing a source of fulfillment to our teachers and staff.
Within our Home Visiting program, we implement the research-based Parents as Teachers curriculum because we know that you have the greatest impact on your child’s education. That’s why we focus on child-centered parenting, parent-child interaction, and family well-being.
In our Early Learning Centers—and with our Early Learning Partners—The Creative Curriculum® takes center stage. This inspiring curriculum allows children to learn through their own interests. Teachers create a classroom environment with interactive areas that promote learning, and children select the projects that interest them most.
A fundamental component of our Early Learning approach rests on nurturing a child’s natural love of learning. We believe that a critical role for this lies in our School-Readiness Goals, which are strategically aligned with Early Learning Outcomes Framework, Illinois Early Learning Guidelines (0-3), Illinois Early Learning Standards (3-5), and Teaching Strategies GOLD.
We achieve this by directing our attention to five essential areas: learning approach, language and literacy, social and emotional development, cognition, and perceptual, motor, and physical development.
IAFC’s Early Learning Programs staff ensure a seamless transition from preschool to kindergarten by offering opportunities for parents to connect with local school teachers and administrators, sharing registration information and assisting with school enrollment requirements.
Children spend time learning about what the transition to kindergarten means so they are better prepared to cope with the change, creating successful kindergarten send offs.
We believe that tracking a child’s progress is an indispensable part of their learning journey.
Within our learning approach, children are evaluated three times a year using the Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment system. This assessment measures child growth in 10 areas:
Results are then shared with families during parent-teacher conferences. These conferences are also a great time to set and discuss goals for your child.
We are confident that your child will have all the tools needed to prepare them for their school-aged years. And through our programs and your collaboration with Early Learning Programs or Early Learning Centers, you can feel assured in your child’s bright future.
This website is supported by Grant Number 05CH011751 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of Illinois Action for Children and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.