Jefferson Early Childhood Center recently earned a Gold Circle of Quality for our Preschool for All program, the highest rating awarded by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood.
This recognition is awarded through ExceleRate Illinois, the state's quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development programs. Jefferson Principal Michele Barkley expressed her pride in the achievement and highlighted what the honor represents for the school.
“This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the quality of instruction, the learning environment we create for children, our family partnerships, our staff qualifications and professional development, and the systems we have in place to ensure that we are providing a high-quality early childhood learning environment,” said Barkley.
Principal Barkley credited the entire Jefferson staff for this achievement. She highlighted the contributions of preschool teachers, teaching assistants, related service providers, the social worker, psychologist, office staff, and everyone who supports the district's youngest learners. “One of the greatest privileges in my role is to work alongside educators who so deeply care about our children,” said Barkley. She also thanked Jefferson families, the District 64 administrative team, and the Board of Education for supporting their commitment to early childhood education.
ExceleRate Illinois establishes a common set of standards across multiple settings to give families important information about quality early learning programs in their community. The framework prioritizes instructional excellence, family services, staff qualifications, professional development, and program administration.
“Earning a Gold Circle of Quality on a first audit is exceptional, and it speaks volumes about the incredible work happening at Jefferson every day,” said Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins. “The state assessors were particularly impressed by the high quality of instruction and the meaningful, positive interactions between our teachers and students.”
“I’m thrilled to see our educators get the state-level recognition they deserve,” said Dr. Collins.
To determine the award rating, assessors collected evidence during monitoring visits conducted through National Louis University's contract with the State. Jefferson was awarded its Gold Circle of Quality based on its scores in two primary monitoring components:
- Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Third Edition (ECERS-3): A comprehensive tool used to evaluate the quality of the classroom environment and the experiences children have every day.
- ISBE / Preschool for All Compliance Checklist: A broader perspective evaluation that examines whether the program is meeting the requirements established by the state of Illinois. This portion requires the team to provide evidence that systems are established and implemented consistently.