Preschool Programs at the Rainbow Academy Child Care Center Carol Stream Illinois

September through May

3 year olds
Tuesday and Thursday
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

4 to 5 year olds
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Our Preschool Program is held in a separate classroom designed just for preschoolers. Our philosophy is of a developmental approach. This means that the activities that the children engage in are fun, stimulating experiences that are specifically planned and researched to teach and strengthen specific skills. Our children learn through experiencing, feeling and exploring a concept.

Our certified teacher plans the many learning experiences for our preschoolers centered around math, science, language arts, art, music and large and small motor skills. The children are encouraged to explore and experience these activities during Circle Time and through the use of Learning Centers.

Different themes are assigned to each week and curriculum meetings are attended by all teachers. The teachers, along with our Training Coordinator and Directors, set up goals and objectives through discussions about various activities incorporating fresh ideas into our curriculum. From the information compiled at these meetings, our teachers are required to hand in weekly lesson plans to the Directors for approval before implementation in the classroom.

Music, essential to our program, fosters auditory discrimination and auditory memory skills important for future spelling skills. The songs that the children commit to memory strengthen their ability to follow directions and increase their attention span. Music is one of the most important avenues in which our preschoolers develop and solidify their foundation for future academic success.

Math skills and fine motor coordination, necessary for future writing skills, are strengthened by activities such as measuring ingredients for cooking projects or pouring sand and water at our sand and water tables. Pegs, blocks and small manipulatives are used to reinforce pattern building, counting and sorting skills. Passing out snacks teaches one-to-one math relationships.

Our preschoolers can sharpen their skills in our Computer and Language Lab. Our Computer and Language Lab offers access to skill strengthening computer programs, Leap Frog Schoolhouse early literacy programs and an audio/visual listening station.

As a supplement to our learning program, Rainbow subscribes to Weekly Reader magazine which is distributed to each child on a weekly basis. This magazine helps to reinforce readiness skills in areas such as math, reading, science and social studies.

Our teachers are continually working on skills assessments with your child. We begin evaluating and assessing skills in September and hold Parent/Teacher conferences at the beginning and at the end of the school year. This is a time when parents will be able meet with their child's teacher to see their child’s progress and discuss individualized objectives and goals projected for the coming months.

Our teachers are dedicated to helping your child develop the skills that are necessary to be successful in future academic endeavors and to become a confident, self-assured and well rounded person.

Rainbow's Pre-Kindergarten students exceed all local school district kindergarten standards!

We know what your child needs and we are dedicated to fulfill those needs.

[Little Artists]

"Beyond all doubt, young children learn from action. Whether children construct their world as Piaget maintains, or actively absorb it, in Montessori terms, it is action and interaction with people and things that count."

(Jim Greenman, 1988, p. 29)