Programs & Curriculums

Infant

Welcome to the Infants Classroom at Chicago Child Care Center! We are delighted to have you and your infant with us and look forward to the upcoming year. This packet outlines the guidelines and procedures specific to our infant room. Should you have any questions or concerns, or if we've missed anything, please feel free to talk to any of our classroom teachers.

Open-door Policy:

Parents of our infants are always welcome in our classroom. Feel free to visit or call to check on your infant at any time.

What to Bring:

We suggest keeping at least two complete sets of clothing (including shirts, pants, onesies, socks, etc.) at the center. You might also want to leave an extra pacifier and a hat. Diapers, wipes, and bottles should be brought from home. For comfort during naps, you can bring a blanket (sized to tuck around the mattress) and a soft toy. Blankets should be taken home every Friday for washing. Please label all items brought from home with your child's name. The center provides sheets, bibs, burp cloths, mobiles, and crib toys.

Daily Sheets:

Each child will go home with a daily report detailing their activities, including nap times, diaper changes, food consumed, and bottle details. The sheet will also include notes about supplies that may be needed.

Diapers:

Diapers are changed at least every two hours or more frequently if necessary. Wipes are used at every change, and ointments are applied as needed or as directed by the parent.

Naps:
Sleep is crucial for infants, and they have varied ways of falling asleep. Please let us know your baby's preferred method. Napping in the Infant room isn't strictly scheduled.

Bottles and Food:

All bottles and sippy cups must be labeled with your child's name. Per DHS regulations, bottles can only contain formula, breast milk, milk, or water. The center supplies high-iron formula, cereal, meat, fruits, vegetables, and appropriate infant snacks. Bottles should be prepared at home, and formula must be pre-mixed. Bottle timings are aligned with parental preferences and infant needs, typically every 2-4 hours. All bottles are warmed and temperature-checked before serving. Breastfeeding mothers are welcome to nurse at the center. When introducing baby food, sealed and labeled containers are required. Open jars are dated and stored for up to 24 hours. Baby food is warmed in the microwave and temperature-tested before serving. When a child is ready for solid foods, they will be provided by the center.

Meals:
Breakfast is served at 8:00 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM, an afternoon snack at 3:00 PM, dinner at 5:30 PM, and an evening snack at 8:00 PM.

We are excited to partner with you in caring for and nurturing your infant at Chicago Child Care Center.

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Toddler Program

Our toddler room accommodates 2 teachers for every 14 children, enhancing the opportunity for meaningful one-on-one connections between educators and toddlers. The schedule is thoughtfully arranged to address the individual requirements of each child and the collective needs of the group. While nap times, meal times, and diapering are scheduled consistently, periods for free-play, both indoors and outdoors, as well as transition periods, are kept flexible.

To stimulate and engage young minds, our classroom teacher team updates the classroom's assortment of age-appropriate toys and equipment every three to four weeks. This ensures a dynamic and stimulating environment during child-led play. Participation in teacher-led activities, though optional, is encouraged to foster exploration and discovery of new experiences.

Our teachers employ a diverse mix of methods to support developmental growth, including engaging play, singing, storytelling, positive reinforcement, guidance, redirection, and exemplifying positive behaviors. The curriculum emphasizes crucial developmental areas such as self-help skills, fostering independence, encouraging peer interaction, teaching self-control, cultivating positive problem-solving abilities, instilling age-appropriate health and safety practices, and helping children use their developing language skills to effectively communicate their needs, feelings, and emotions.

Parents and caregivers are integral to our communicative approach, contributing to daily report forms upon their child’s arrival. Our teachers complete these forms with details about the child’s day, including dietary intake, sleep patterns and quality, mood, behavior, and diapering details. These daily reports are vital in ensuring seamless and consistent communication between our staff and families, fostering a collaborative and nurturing childcare environment.

Preschools

Chicago Child Care Center preschool schedule and curriculum is designed to add more structure, decreasing flexibility and minimizing transitions. Our daily routine consists of teacher- initiated activities, large group times, quiet reading, large motor, meals, nap, and clean up. The classroom teacher team changes the equipment in the classroom every three to four weeks to provide children with a variety of age-appropriate toys and equipment to engage with during child-initiated playtime. Large group activities increase the child's attention span and listening skills while developing confidence in a group setting by enhancing social and emotional skills. Curriculum is developed on a weekly basis, focusing on a variety of subjects. Preschool teachers use a number of strategies and activities to encourage growth and development, including: playful interactions, songs, stories, positive reinforcement, direction, redirection, and modeling of appropriate behavior. The younger preschool program focuses on expanding social skills; independence, problem-solving skills, health and safety habits, and a strong emphasis on helping children recognize and verbalize emotions. Teachers also use an anti- violence curriculum, Second Step, in the Younger Preschool Room. The older preschool schedule and curriculum are designed to assist in preparing children for kindergarten. The program continues to build off of our younger preschool goals of adding more structure, decreasing flexibility, and minimizing transitions. The daily routine consists of teacher-initiated activities, large group times, reading, writing, science, math, large motor, meals, rest, clean up, and child-initiated activities and play. The classroom teacher team changes the equipment in the classroom every three to four weeks to provide children with a variety of age-appropriate toys and equipment to engage with during child-initiated playtime. Large group activities increase the child's attention span and listening skills while developing confidence in a group setting by enhancing social and emotional skills. Curriculum is developed on a weekly basis focusing on a variety of subjects. Preschool teachers use a number of strategies and activities to encourage growth and development, including: playful interactions, songs, stories, positive reinforcement, direction, redirection, and modeling of appropriate behavior. The older preschool program focuses on school readiness which includes: expanding social skills and positive interactions with peers, problem-solving skills, being able to pay attention and follow directions, finishing tasks and working independently, health and safety habits, and a strong emphasis on helping children recognize, verbalize, and control emotions. Along with the Younger Preschool Room Second Step anti-violence curriculum, the Older Preschool Room uses the literacy

School Agers

Here at Chicago Child Care Center we realize there many benefits a child can receive from a quality School Agers program. Our goal is to provide a variety of activities not always available during a traditional school day, music, art or even study time. Our School Agers program will support children's social development amongst adults and their peers. Our center is set to offer a positive atmosphere for each child while they visit.