Little People's Country Academy of Arts & Education

Little People's Country Academy of Arts & Education is a preschool that implements an art-integrated curriculum for all of our students, including classes in art, music, dance and Spanish. Our Reggio Emilia approach to early care and education brings nature to our students, and gives real life experiences for children to participate in including field trips to places like our farm, Honey Bee Gardens and Family Farm, owned by our Executive Director. The school maintains seasonal gardens onsite as well, where children are encourage to taste what is grown, explore bugs and soil, perform science experiments and more. Each classroom has a class pet, including a bunny or a frog, guinea pigs and hamsters, and even eyelash crested geckos and a bearded dragon!

Our curriculum is based on a philosophy which begins with respect for children and families. It is designed to respond to the universals of child development shared by all children, as well as to the individual differences which we both expect and celebrate. Our educational philosophy is founded in the idea that the young child grows and learns when allowed in active play. We work hard to facilitate play and celebrate playful curiosity, as we believe it is the chief medium for children's expression.

One of our main focuses in our teachers' planning of curriculum is social emotional learning. We believe in giving children tools to handle conflict, learning how to stand up for themselves and others, making sure they know they have a voice, and understanding how to communicate effectively with each other. One of our goals for our students here is to learn how to be good current and future citizens in our community and our world, celebrating similarities and differences alike. Community service can begin as early as infancy!

Our teachers work to build relationships with each other, with the children in their care, and with the families that we serve. We find that children flourish when teachers and families collaborate and communicate, therefore provide loving yet consistent limits and structure while allowing children the freedom and calm to discover, explore and construct their own knowledge of the world.

Little People's Country Academy of Arts & Education serves children from 6 weeks-kindergarten during the school year, and an additional summer camp program for children ages 6-12. We are licensed through the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, hold a certificate and circle of quality through ExceleRate Illinois, and are accredited through the National Accreditation Commission.

Our mission statement is: At Little People's Country Academy of Arts & Education, we spark a love of learning and inspire an appreciation for the arts!