The Creative Curriculum®
INFANT, TODDLER, TWOS
The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos is a research-based curriculum focused on a whole-child approach to early development. It promotes learning through play and exploration, using daily routines as meaningful learning opportunities to develop social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills.
Key Principles:
- Whole-Child Development: The curriculum nurtures every aspect of a child's development.
- Learning Through Play: It emphasizes that infants and toddlers learn best through natural curiosity, play, exploration, and discovery.
- Responsive Relationships: Teachers are facilitators, forming warm and responsive relationships with children to build trust and support their independence.
- Learning Environment: The curriculum guides the creation of a rich learning environment organized into areas of interest, such as blocks, art, and music.
- Meaningful Routines: Daily routines like eating, diapering, and napping become intentional learning opportunities that promote development across all domains.
THREES
The Creative Curriculum for three-year-olds uses project-based, long-term investigations centered on children's interests to develop social-emotional, physical, cognitive, language, and literacy skills. Learning occurs through teacher-guided, hands-on exploration in diverse interest areas, like blocks and art, with a focus on play and inquiry. The curriculum provides daily, structured plans and assessment tools to support whole-child development, build confidence, and prepare children for kindergarten.
Key Principles:
- Project-Based Learning: Children engage in long-term, in-depth studies (lasting 4–6 weeks) on topics like seeds or cameras, exploring big questions and ideas through hands-on discovery.
- Child-Centered Approach: The curriculum places children's interests and questions at the core of their learning experience, rather than being teacher-centered.
- Interest Areas: The classroom is organized into different areas, such as dramatic play, blocks, library, and art, providing children with opportunities for exploration and open-ended play.
- Focus on the Whole Child: Development in social-emotional, physical, cognitive, language, and literacy areas is integrated and supported through all activities.
FOURS
The Creative Curriculum for 4-year-olds is a research-based, play-centered approach that uses interest areas and long-term project-based studies to foster whole-child development. It promotes social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development through hands-on exploration and intentional teaching, integrating literacy and math skills into daily activities. The curriculum emphasizes building confident, curious learners, connecting families to the classroom, and supporting teachers with resources and professional development to create a positive, inclusive learning community.
Key Principles:
- Play-Based Learning: Children learn by exploring, investigating, and playing in structured interest areas like blocks, dramatic play, art, and the outdoors.
- Whole-Child Development: The curriculum focuses on all areas of development—social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language—to build a strong foundation for academic success.
- Project-Based Studies: Long-term investigations into interesting topics, sparked by children's interests, are used to promote critical thinking, inquiry, and in-depth learning.
- Intentional Teaching: Teachers use observation to understand each child's development and plan intentional experiences to support and scaffold their learning.
- Integrated Academics: Literacy and math skills are woven into daily experiences, including reading, shared writing, and mathematical concepts like measurement and charting.
- Family and Community Engagement: The curriculum aims to build a positive classroom community where children feel welcomed and connects families to their child's learning through engaging activities and two-way communication.
- Confidence and Critical Thinking: Through play and investigations, children develop confidence, curiosity, creativity, and essential critical thinking skills.
- Kindergarten Readiness: The comprehensive approach is designed to enhance kindergarten readiness, covering both academic and social-emotional skills.
- Individualized Learning: Research-based objectives with clear progressions help teachers individualize instruction and ensure every child is included and supported.
- Meaningful Experiences: Learning is hands-on and relevant, allowing children to explore and discover the world around them, rather than learning through abstract themes.
Tuition
For more information regarding Faithful Friends' rates, please reach out via the Enrollment page.
Faithful Friends is a registered provider with CCAP and DCFS Foster programs.