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Early Childhood

Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph’s early childhood program (Prekindergarten - Kindergarten) is a center-based, NAEYC® accredited, comprehensive program designed to provide the best learning experiences for our youngest students. All activities are appropriate for the age and developmental level of the class. Teachers work with each child to ensure that his/her individual educational and developmental needs are being met, with particular focus on the following objectives:


Physical Development

Visual Perception

Fine Motor Skills

Auditory Perception

Gross Motor Skills

Personal Development

Social Development

 
 

Early Childhood Program Highlights

 

Early Childhood Program Chart

 

Early Childhood Approach

During the early childhood years, children are building relationships and learning to trust adults and peers outside their families. They gain independence and self-control, take initiative, and assert themselves in socially acceptable ways. Children make sense of the world around them through active involvement with their environment, observing what happens when they interact with people, activities, and materials. For these reasons, Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph School uses a center-directed approach to learning. Each fully self-contained classroom provides the appropriate centers for children to further their cognitive and social/emotional development, as well as their fine and gross motor skills and their creative and inquisitive nature. Early education classrooms incorporate play and learning centers that include:


Language Arts

Art

Math

Science

Dramatic Play

Reading

Construction

Religion

Sensory



A Child's Daily Activities

Your child's daily activities will include a balance of quiet and active play, large group activities, small group activities, and opportunities to play alone or with others. Each day includes time for self-selected and teacher-directed activities. Children will engage in self-help skills such as toileting, dressing for outside, and washing hands, as well as classroom tasks such as table-setting and cleaning up.


Early Childhood Curriculum Highlights

  • Handwriting Without Tears®
    • Research-based handwriting program providing multi-sensory and developmentally appropriate tools for teaching handwriting
  • RULER (SEL) Program  
    • RULER is an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
    • RULER supports the entire ICSJ community in:
      - Understanding the value of emotions
      - Building skills of emotional intelligence
      - Creating and maintaining a positive school climate
  • Illinois Early Learning Standards
    • ICSJ faculty plan and implement hands-on and interactive, child-focused lessons throughout the early childhood program  
    • Lessons are student-centered and based on student interest
  • Heggerty Phonemic Awareness 
    • Students will develop phonological awareness and early literacy skills

The early education classrooms are large and bright and they allow ample space for students to move and play freely. All prekindergarten classrooms are equipped with their own water fountains and student restrooms.

 
ICSJ is proud to have earned our NAEYC Accreditation every year since 2006.