Jefferson Preschool Program

There are some exciting changes being made to the Jefferson program for 2023-2024 that will give children more learning opportunities and parents some new options.

Parents will now be able to sign up for either the morning or afternoon session regardless of your child’s age. Rather than having three year olds solely in the morning and four year olds solely in the afternoon we’ll have both three and four year olds in the morning and afternoon classrooms. In anticipation of this move, we started moving to multi-age classrooms with a few classrooms this year. We will also have all students attending five days per week regardless of their age.

Knowing that children progress at different rates and at different times, being in a multi-age classroom allows students opportunities to develop many important social emotional skills, including confidence, cooperation, leadership, and a sense of uniqueness.

Registration Requirements:

Proof of residency within District 64.
New applicants will be scheduled for a developmental screening prior to the child starting. Parents will be contacted by a member of the diagnostic team to schedule the screening.
In addition to the completed registration form and proof of residency, a copy of the original birth certificate and immunization records are required.

Curriculum:

Creative Curriculum, which is a research-based and developmentally appropriate curriculum that is aligned to the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards.
Research-based curriculum helps children gain the range of skills they need to be successful in kindergarten.
Students dive deeply into topics of interest through monthly units of study.
Play-based environment supports children in developing their language, pre-academic, play, learn-to-learn, motor, and social and emotional skills.
Children are encouraged to become independent through developing their self-help and self-regulation skills.
Music, art, and physical education/movement are featured daily.
Teachers conduct ongoing assessments to monitor student progress.
Teachers are highly qualified with certification in early childhood, special education and teaching children learning English.
In addition to the teacher, there are specialists (speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and social worker) providing instruction and support in every classroom.
Small class sizes (15 students) with a low student to teacher ratio (1 adult per 5 children at a minimum).
Technology-rich environment with iPads, SMART Boards, and SMART Table activities integrated into the curriculum.
Special activities scheduled on a monthly basis include Dog Therapy, and Library Lady.
Monthly parent education workshops are offered that relate to different aspects of child development. Previous topics include: play with purpose, vocabulary development, stress reduction, summer activities, and community resources.

Calendar:

Jefferson follows the District 64 calendar for holidays and vacations.

Together We Discover, Learn, Grow & Care

At D64, our mission is to foster opportunities for discovery, engagement, and growth for all students. We accomplish this by nurturing interdependence, appreciation of differences, and care for self and others.

Jefferson Preschool Program

Registration Requirements:

Hours for the 2023-2024 School Year

Curriculum:

Calendar:

Together We Discover, Learn, Grow & Care