Primrose School of South Elgin

As Vice President of Education and Professional Development, I oversee the development of curriculum and training for Primrose Schools. I am a firm believer in Primrose’s Balanced Learning curriculum because we place special emphasis on literacy instruction, hands-on learning activities, building a foundation for understanding mathematics, the integration of technology to support learning, and most importantly, on the development of confident, happy children.

The concept of balance is core to the Primrose approach to curriculum development and programming. We believe each child is unique, capable, curious, and in the process of discovering how the world works. We want to encourage this natural process by providing the kind of teaching and learning environment that will foster the development of well-rounded children. Our Balanced Learning curriculum provides teachers with an instructional blueprint that enables them to promote and support children’s learning in multiple waysthrough listening, seeing, hearing, touching, and play.

We consider multiple aspects of development and learningcognitive, social-emotional, physical, and creativein the design of our research-based curriculum. The engaging learning activities that make up the curriculum are appropriate for children at different stages of developmentfrom six weeks to five years. We recognize the necessity and value of well-planned, developmentally appropriate experiences for children. Our curriculum and training experts create and select curriculum for teachers to use to address specific learning outcomes in seven different learning domains, as once again, balance comes into play. The learning outcomes identified for each class level provide a learning path that helps teachers make their daily instruction purposeful and intentional.

Another important component of the Balanced Learning curriculum deals with character developmentunderstanding concepts like friendship, generosity, and honesty which are at the heart of our culture at Primrose. One of the reasons I came to Primrose was because of their long tradition of embedding character development into the curriculum from an early age. I knew from my many years of teaching and rearing my own children that character doesn’t just happen by itself. To raise a generation of compassionate adults, we need to start young and make caring for others a way of life whether it’s at home or at school.

Our schools recruit the best teachers and train them to bring our Balanced Learning curriculum to life in all Primrose classrooms across the country. Having purposeful, engaging curriculum and the instructional materials needed to teach gives our teachers more time to focus on individual children’s needs and growth. When I visit a Primrose school and talk with teachers, I often hear that they are proud to be part of an organization that is committed to making a difference in children’s lives.

We are committed to continually improving every aspect of the care and education children receive in our schools. Our Education Advisory Board is made up of leading early childhood experts who make recommendations for the continuous improvement of our education and training programs. We use a national assessment instrument, the Bracken Assessment, at the Pre-K and Kindergarten levels to continually assess the effectiveness of our curriculum and delivery, and our children have consistently scored in the 90th percentile for the last four years.

In my over 30 years in the field of early childhood experience, I have found few schools to be truly focused on implementing the best blend of curriculum and assessment for children. Primrose Schools is exemplary in this respect. I feel honored to have the opportunity to play a role in its continued emphasis on providing the best in early childhood education.