Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) -- 4 Locations

Your child has developed the ability to discover and explore with new knowledge and interest. Our teachers provide your child with opportunities for exploration, fun and excitement. Our Pre-Kindergarten program is built upon supporting exploration and individual development based on each child's interest in preparation for the next level. We know that engaging your child in fun and exciting interactive experiences provides the foundation for active learning. Our teachers are dedicated and passionate about providing a loving, nurturing and safe environment.

Our Pre-K program exceeds any other program in the area; it is the equivalent to a kindergarten program. We know you have entrusted your most precious possession to our care, education, and guidance. We will do our very best to prove worthy of that trust. We are delighted to create for your child a happy, healthy, and loving environment. Our learning program is individually designed to challenge your child. All children are placed according to age and ability.

Every aspect of our Pre-K classroom is designed to enhance and develop the natural learning ability of your precious child. We begin our school year with reviewing letters, numbers, shapes, colors, literacy, and tracing letters.

Our children then progress towards phonemic awareness and writing skills. They learn that each letter has a sound and those sounds are blended to form words, which is the foundation for reading readiness. We also work on math skills beginning with number recognition, number sequencing, number patterns, and simple addition and subtraction. About half way through the school year children are bringing home books to read with their parents. At the end of our program your child will be reading and writing on their own, even before they go to kindergarten. Your child will exclaim “Look mom & dad, I can read!”

“We make school days… happy days!” - Dr. Mary Sears

Our system of learning is influenced by the theories of Jean Piaget, a French behavioral psychologist whose work focused on the cognitive development of children . Piaget believed that a child moves through the stages of development by experiencing their world, and learning from those interactions.

Mary Sears teachers will encourage your child to explore and play in a loving, safe and clean environment. Our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms provide exciting educational experiences and activities based upon your child's interest and stage of development. We will establish, maintain and update your child's developmental progress. This process ensures that your child’s needs are met to promote exciting growth and development.

Program Highlights -- The Mary Sears Children’s Academy Difference

Learning: Our excellent program will increase your child’s knowledge, create awareness, and stimulate their natural curiosity to learn, grow, and change according to their own age and ability. Our enrichment programs include Spanish and French and a wide variety of extracurricular activities.

Mathematics: Your child will count and compare objects and groups of objects. Your child will participate in making graphs, completing patterns and measuring things with conventional and nonconventional measuring tools.

Science: Children will make observations about themselves, classmates & teachers. They will explore and ask questions about other planets, the depths of oceans and will learn the importance of keeping the earth clean and how to recycle at school and home.

Books: Our four year olds practice blending sounds and reading every day. Our goal is to read by the time they advance to kindergarten. Literacy enrichment instills in your child a love for learning.

Music: Music enhances a child’s ability to develop rhythm, cadence, and assists in reading readiness and memory skills. Our curriculum is very musically oriented. Bells, tambourines, horns, and other instruments are part of everyday activities. Dancing and exercising to the sound of music is another part of our enrichment program.

Exercise: Exercise contributes to mental awareness and strengthens the body and core muscles. It strengthens and contributes to mental awareness.

Art: Our children love art; painting, coloring, drawing, arts & crafts, sewing, etc. Art is the expression of each child’s natural ability to view a place, person, or object according to their own perception

Nature Walks: Our children love nature walks and love to gather parts of nature like leaves, rocks, sticks, flowers, and grass. We appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounds us. Children love to pick flowers.

Nutrition: Proper nutrition is key in our children’s growth. Building strong bodies, minds, and stimulating mental awareness is our daily focus. We serve whole nutritional foods. Our children learn the four different food groups. All meals are home-cooked, nutritious and delicious at our day care/academy.

The Pre Kindergarten program is available at all 4 locations: Joliet, Lockport, Manteno and Orland Park.