Preschool & Child Care Center in Chicago, Illinois

Elmhurst Academy:
Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning is located in Elmhurst in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately 17 miles west of downtown Chicago. We provide professional child care services for ages 3 months through to first grade. Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning believes that successful experiences early in life lead to a successful future. We assist our students in realizing their potential by promoting academic achievement, character development, self-reliance, self-confidence and independent thought.

INFANT PROGRAM:
The Infant Program at Elmhurst Academy starts serving children at 3 months. The teacher/child ratio is 1 teacher to every 3 children with a maximum group size of 9 children, thus enabling the teachers to give adequate personal attention to the developmental needs of each student in the classroom. Throughout your infant’s week at Elmhurst Academy, teachers will focus on the development of the whole child. Language skills will be fostered through the use of Sign Language, reading stories, singing songs, and through daily communication with the children. Students will develop gross or large motor skills, such as walking, crawling and pulling up. Fine or small motor development will be promoted through manipulative activities, such as manipulating play dough, a puzzle, the computer keyboard, or simply practicing picking up items.

The Infant Program at Elmhurst Academy utilizes The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers. High-quality early childhood programs for infants and toddlers promote healthy development and provide critical support to families. To achieve the level of quality that leads to positive outcomes for children and families, programs must be based on an awareness of and commitment to achieving the standards of the profession. An effective tool for achieving these standards is The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers. Programs that are founded on the principles of developmentally appropriate practice contribute positively to the development of young children.

The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers pulls the pieces of developmentally appropriate practice together and offers a framework for decision-making. It gives the "big picture" of what a high-quality program looks like and provides what, why and how to achieve it. The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers addresses in the basis of its framework: children, families, and caregivers/teachers. Within this framework, the curriculum addresses daily routines, learning activities, guiding behavior, health & safety, environment, individualization of activities, and observing and evaluating children.

TODDLER PROGRAM:
In the Toddler Program at Elmhurst Academy, the teacher/student ratio is one teacher to every 5 students with a maximum class size of 15 toddlers, thus enabling the teachers to give adequate personal attention to the developmental needs of each student in the classroom. Children in this stage of development are curious learners as they actively explore the world around them. Students in our Toddler Program spend their days engaged in experiences that appeal to their senses. Teachers provide students with experiences that allow them to cook and taste new foods, to manipulate and touch items, to listen to stories and music, to talk and sing with friends and teachers, and to smell and explore nature.

Since all children in our Toddler Program are walking, teachers encourage our toddlers to strengthen their large motor muscles by climbing, running, bending, stretching, jumping and dancing. Teachers also focus heavily on the development of fine or small motor skills. Students in our Toddler Program are able to manipulate a variety of objects throughout the day. Some examples of fine motor development include playing with play dough, manipulating the keyboard and mouse of a computer, completing puzzles, painting, and building with blocks. Language skills are starting to develop at a rapid pace during the toddler years, and teachers in our Toddler Program work to foster this language development. Teachers use basic Sign Language to give students a voice for their needs, wants, and frustrations, as well as constantly communicating verbally with the children.

Starting to foster independence is a key element in our Toddler Program. Children want to start doing tasks independently. It is important for both parents and teachers to allow children in this stage of development the opportunity to develop their independence. Children in our Toddler Program are now doing tasks, such as eating, drinking, walking, and playing on their own. Once they begin to do tasks independently, they want the challenge of doing more. Teachers in our Toddler Program understand the development of a child’s independence and help to foster this development in the classroom.

PRESCHOOL PREP PROGRAM:
The curriculum in our Preschool Prep Program at Elmhurst Academy provides a solid foundation for your child’s advancement into our Preschool Program. One of the biggest accomplishments the students make throughout the year is mastering toilet training. Teachers and parents work together to help students have a successful toilet training experience.

Curriculum in the Preschool Prep Program allows students to fine tune the many skills that they have been developing in their early toddler years. Now that students in this stage of development can confidently and steadily walk, run, climb, and jump, teachers are able to provide students with more challenging large motor experiences. Children’s fine motor muscles are becoming stronger with each year of their development. In the Preschool Prep Program, students learn to hold a pencil or crayon correctly and use this skill to begin writing and drawing. Students are able to begin drawing some letters of the alphabet, their numbers, and their name. As students begin to control the crayons and pencils more precisely, they are able to draw pictures that begin to take obvious shape and form.

Students in our Preschool Prep Program are busy learning basic concepts, such as the alphabet, numbers, shapes, days of the week, months of the year and colors. Students begin recognizing their name and the names of their classmates. Teachers utilize the Illinois Early Learning Standards as they provide a variety of thematic units throughout the year which allows students to experience content areas, such as math, science, language, and social studies. Each child in our Preschool Prep Program will be assigned a Primary Caregiver upon enrollment in the program.

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM:
Children in our Preschool Program at Elmhurst Academy are working to build a framework of knowledge for future learning. Using the Illinois Early Learning Standards, teachers help students meet developmental objectives and milestones though a variety of learning styles. Children in our Preschool Program study broad topics of interest and within these topics explore ways to develop the necessary skills for reading, writing, and other learning goals. Teachers create a child-directed environment that allows children to explore learning in a meaningful way. Students are able to construct their own knowledge through hands-on, thought-provoking experiences that challenge children to think. Learning is driven through their own natural curiosity.

The role of the preschool teacher is unique. Our teachers identify where the children are in their development and assess what they already know. Teachers then design the curriculum to integrate children’s interests with needed skills. In this environment, teachers support instruction through modeling, coaching, and providing opportunities for interaction with adults, peers, and materials. Children have more freedom to explore their interests in-depth by being allowed to move from one activity to the next.

During this process, teachers are observing and recording each child’s interests and developmental progress. Through this observation, teachers are ready to meet the individual needs of the children through a variety of engaging experiences. In a sense, the teacher is bridging one level of understanding to a higher level of thinking. Learning is thus a natural consequence of integrating children’s interests with developmentally appropriate curriculum. Each child in our Preschool Program will be assigned a Primary Caregiver upon enrollment in the program.

PRIVATE KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE PROGRAM:
The Private Kindergarten and First Grade Program at Elmhurst Academy recognizes that each child is unique. The individuality of the child is observed and evaluated so that the instruction of each student not only fulfills learning standards and developmental needs, but also acknowledges and maximizes each child's individual strengths. Areas of study include, language arts, math, social studies, science, health, art, music, handwriting, character education, Spanish, Sign Language and global studies. The program thrives in an environment where children are involved in first hand sensory experiences - children learn by doing! The program is designed to help each child become self-reliant and independent while also becoming aware of and respecting the needs of others.

The teacher/student ratio is 1 teacher to every 10 students, thus allowing for individual instruction time for each child. The classroom also has its own computer lab consisting of three computers with software programs designed to enhance the curriculum on a daily basis, as well as Internet access to the World Wide Web. An enrichment program is also included in the curriculum which includes separate programs such as Musical Discoveries, Sign Language, Yoga Instruction, Dance, Computers and more. A Readiness Assessment must be completed and finalized on each student prior to entering the program. Each child in our Private Kindergarten & First Grade Program will be assigned a Primary Caregiver upon enrollment in the program.