Our Programs
Our Educational Philosophy
Young children learn best through play — by actively thinking, experimenting, exploring and manipulating their environment — to make sense of their world, to understand and negotiate relationships, to develop creative thinking and to build a positive sense of themselves and their significance to a community.
Child-directed, teacher-facilitated play is central to all aspects of the CLCP curriculum. Play provides the important foundations for academic learning in the later years and is central to all aspects of a child’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth.
Through art, singing, building, exploring, and engaging in pretend play, children — with teacher guidance — build on their knowledge of emergent literacy, math and science concepts.
Crystal Lake Cooperative Preschool offers educational programs for young learners that encourage cooperation and leadership, and nurture social and intellectual growth.
Three-Year Old Program
We welcome our youngest learners into the classroom two days each week to explore with us!
Students explore the classroom environment, friendships, routines, activities, and learning processes. This preschool class is designed to offer students the beginning “feels” of school. Each morning, our students listen to wonderful stories and express themselves through music and movement. They discover and imagine through self-guided play in thoughtfully designed activity centers. They make art, learn math and science, and engage gross motor skills through playground activities. We pack a lot of meaningful learning experiences into our mornings together!
Tuesdays and Thursdays | 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Four-Year Old Program
We welcome our four-year old students into the classroom three days each week to learn and grow with us!
Because many of these students are returning CLCP students, we build on the foundation of classroom routines and activities established in our Three-Year Old Program. This enables us to spend greater class time exploring concepts and activities, following the lead of students’ individual ideas and interests, and continuing to develop students’ emerging skills. Our continued and constant emphasis is learning through play-based activities.
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays | 9:00 AM - 12 PM*
*Time change for the 25-26 School Year. Class for the 24-25 School Year is from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Extended Day Option
We invite our students in the Four-Year Old Program to participate with us!
This afternoon program begins with lunch together (prepared at home), followed by relaxation and rest time. Rest time allows the students to do just that— recharge after a busy morning in the classroom. Lights are dimmed and quiet music is played while students relax on soft mats provided by CLCP. Different enrichment activities are offered after rest time, which can include walks to the nearby library, snack making, STEM activities, art, and more! Extended day also includes additional discovery time in the classroom as well as on the playground.
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays | 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM