1. Teaching and Learning

1B. Curriculum

Brief Overview of Standard: To ensure that young children’s experiences are developmentally appropriate, programs are expected to incorporate a comprehensive curriculum and child assessment system that are aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Birth to Three and Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for Age Three to Five.

 

Informational Resources

Center for Early Learning Literacy
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/practresource1.php
A major focus of CELL is technical assistance and coaching that is provided to support early literacy practices for young children birth to 6 years of age.

Early Language Development Standards – for English and Spanish
http://www.wida.us/standards/eeld.aspx
WIDA (World Class Instructional Design and Assessment) has created Early Language Development Standards, for English and Spanish, for use by early childhood practitioners, including child care, Head Start, preschool/prekindergarten educators, and caregivers.  The purpose of the ELD standards is to provide a developmentally sound framework for supporting, instructing, and assessing dual language learners (DLLs), ages 2.5-5.5 years. 

Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Birth to Three
http://illinoisearlylearning.org/guidelines/index.htm
The Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age 3 provide early childhood professionals and policy makers a framework for understanding child development by presenting information on what children know and should do and what development looks like in everyday life. The main goal of the Guidelines is to offer early childhood professionals a cohesive analysis of children’s development with common expectations and common language. These Guidelines also provide suggestions and ideas on how to create early experiences that benefit all children’s learning and development.

Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for Preschool
http://illinoisearlylearning.org/ields/index.htm
The Illinois Early Learning Project has launched a convenient HTML version of the 2013 Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS), ages 3 to kindergarten enrollment age, allowing users easy access from a variety of platforms. The HTML version includes a handy drop-down feature that shows the Example Performance Descriptors for most standards.

Infants Have Their Own Curriculum: A Responsive Approach to Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/ehs-ta-16.pdf 
Curriculum plans focus on how to best create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports child-initiated and child-pursued learning. Staff can use this information as a basis for selecting or developing curriculum for infants and toddlers in their care.    
 

Specific Tools

Below are curriculums in alphabetical order that have been reviewed and are aligned to the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age Three Years (IELG) and the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for Preschool 3 years old to Kindergarten Enrollment Age (IELDS). 

The State of Illinois and its administering agencies (ISBE, IDHS, DCFS) do not "approve" or "endorse" any specific curriculum for implementation in any of its funded and/or regulated early childhood programs. The Curriculum Crosswalk is solely to determine whether the curriculum is aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for ages birth–3, and/or the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for ages 3–5. If determined aligned, the curriculum is accepted by ExceleRate Illinois as evidence of program compliance with Standard 1B, Curriculum for centers and Standard 1D, Curriculum for family child care.

Please Note

  • Aligned curricula are generally acceptable for use in both center-based and family child care settings, unless the publisher provides a separate and distinct curriculum for family child care.
  • Child Assessment Tools which accompany and align with the curricula on this list are generally acceptable for Child Assessment Standard 1E in centers and Standard 1D in family child care. A separate alignment process is not required unless the child assessment tool is independent of the curriculum.
  • Even though a curriculum is determined to be aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines and/or the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards, it may not meet all criteria as set forth by individual early childhood programs, such as Preschool for All and Head Start. Please check with the appropriate administering agency for specific guidelines.
  • If programs use a core curriculum and then layer on additional or supplement curriculum specific to certain program areas (i.e. literacy, math/STEM, social-emotional, inclusion, etc…) only the core curriculum must be on the aligned curriculum list. 

Aligned Curriculum

Bank Street Developmental Interaction Approach
https://www.bankstreet.edu/head-start/curriculum/

Big Day for PreK
http://www.hmhco.com/products/big-day-pre-k/?kw=big%20day%20for%20pre-k&atrkid=v3adw4bbc5b9b_10328525628_kwd-139009749362__53331907428_g_c___1t1

Blueprint for Early Learning: a comprehensive Pre-K curriculum
https://cliblueprint.org/

Blueprint for Early Literacy, published by the Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI), ages 3-5
https://cli.org/blueprint/

The Creative Curriculum®
https://shop.teachingstrategies.com/collections/the-creative-curriculum-for-infants-toddlers-and-twos

https://shop.teachingstrategies.com/page/73756-creative-curriculum-system-preschool.cfm#product_overview

Curiosity Corner Preschool Curriculum
http://www.successforall.org/our-approach/schoolwide-programs/curiosity-corner/

DIG (Discover, Inspire, Grow) Preschool Curriculum, Abrams Learning Trends
https://www.frogstreet.com/curriculum/dig-pre-k/

Experience Curriculum
https://www.mothergoosetime.com/

Frog Street Pre-K
Frog Street Threes
Frog Street Toddlers
Frog Street Infants 
http://www.frogstreet.com/curriculum/

Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum
www.ati-online.com

Gee Whiz Family Child Care Curriculum
http://www.geewhizeducation.com/

HighScope Infant and Toddler Curriculum
https://highscope.org/infant-toddler 

HighScope Preschool Curriculum
https://highscope.org/preschool 

The Innovations Series
Innovations:  The Comprehensive Infant Curriculum

https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/innovations_the_comprehensive_infant_curriculum

Innovations:  The Comprehensive Toddler Curriculum
https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/innovations_the_comprehensive_toddler_curriculum 

Innovations:  The Comprehensive Preschool Curriculum
https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/innovations_the_comprehensive_preschool_curriculum

InvestiGator Club Inquiry-Based Learning System
http://www.investigatorclub.com/

Learning Beyond Paper
https://www.learningbeyondpaper.com/

Learn Every Day™: Infants, Toddlers and Twos
https://www.kaplanco.com/LearnEveryDay-InfantToddlerTwos/

Learn Every Day™: The Preschool Curriculum
https://www.kaplanco.com/LearnEveryDay/

Lillio Learning Curricula (powered by FunShine Express)
http://www.funshineexpress.com/

Open a World of Learning (OWL)
http://www.pearsonlearning.com/microsites/owl/main.cfm

Program for Infant Toddler Care/PITC
http://www.pitc.org/pub/pitc_docs/home.csp

The Redleaf Family Child Care Curriculum
http://www.redleafpress.org/Redleaf-Family-Child-Care-Curriculum-2nd-Edition-P1278.aspx

Three Cheers for Pre-K
https://www.savvas.com/solutions/literacy/core-programs/three-cheers-for-pre-k
Meet Three Cheers for Pre-K! It’s the all-new Pre-Kindergarten curriculum that helps young children get ready for Grade K! Skills-based experiences and purposeful play initiate learning around quality children’s literature. It’s fun and effective with multisensory activities and amazing interactive digital content. A Family Engagement web portal includes learning games and helpful tools for parents and caregivers.

Scholastic PreK On My Way
http://teacher.scholastic.com/education/pre-k-on-my-way/index.html

Starfall PreK4
http://more.starfall.com/info/curriculum/pre-k.php

We Can!™
http://www.voyagerlearning.com/curriculum/literacy-solutions/we-can-first-edition

WEE Learn Early Childhood Curriculum
http://www.cdealliance.org/wee-learn-curriculum/

World of Wonders
https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/microsites/MKTSP-BGA10M0/world-of-wonders.html?srsltid=AfmBOorVyw3lCXW_Udvse9alLekvI-pfFDDgH3EogOFedl3Ec715beSJ

 

Proprietary Curriculum – not available for use in other programs

American Montessori Society (proprietary curriculum - only for AMS)
The Empowered Child (ages 3-5, proprietary curriculum  - only for Child Time Schools)
Goddard Schools Wonder of Learning Curriculum (ages birth-5, proprietary curriculum - only for Goddard Schools)
Early Innovators (ages 3-5, proprietary curriculum - only for La Petite Academy schools)
Kids 'R' Kids First Class Curriculum (ages birth-5, proprietary for Kids 'R' Kids)
Knowledge Universe (proprietary curriculum - only for KinderCare)
Learn As We Grow (ages 2-3, proprietary curriculum – only for Learning Care Group)
Learn from the Start  (birth – age 3, proprietary curriculum – only for Learning Care Group Schools)
Life Essentials (proprietary curriculum - only for schools operated by Kiddie Academy)
Life Smart (ages 3-5, proprietary curriculum – only for Tutor Time schools)
L.E.A.P. Curriculum (proprietary curriculum - only for The Learning Experience)