Park Ridge
Phone: 847-692-5000
Today's Hours: Closed
Request InformationSchedule a tour
Change Location
Change Location
HomeEnrolled Family ResourcesCareersContact Us
Park Ridge
Phone: 847-692-5000
Today's Hours: Closed
Request InformationSchedule a tour
Change Location
- Outcomes for Life
- Programs
- Infant 6 weeks to 12 months
- Toddler 13 to 24 months
- Early Preschool 2-Year-Olds
- Preschool 3-Year-Olds
- Pre-Kindergarten 4-Year-Olds
- Kindergarten 5-Year-Olds
- School Age Ages 5 to 12
- Summer Camp Ages 5 to 12
- About Us
- Academy Careers
- Contact Us
- Enrolled Family Resources
- Parent Testimonials
Find Out More
Home / Programs / Pre-Kindergarten
Park Ridge
Ready, Set, Go
For 4-Year-Olds
Explore this section
- Our Pre-K Curriculum
- A Day at Kiddie Academy
- FAQs
1/3
Preparing Your 4-Year-Old for Kindergarten and Life
Our Ready, Set, Go program at Kiddie Academy[ofACADEMY] is developed through our Life Essentials® curriculum to enable learning experiences where your 4-year-old’s creativity can thrive. Everything your child learns is reinforced and extended throughout the year to get them ready for school.
Explore Our Pre-K Curriculum
Language & Literacy
STEM
Social & Emotional Growth
Gross & Fine Motor Skills
Character Essentials®
Music & More
Learn On®
Explore Our Pre-K Curriculum
Language & Literacy
Language & Literacy
Developing Into a Confident Communicator
Language development is strengthened through individual and small-group activities. We make learning fun with engaging lesson plans, age-appropriate books, and materials.
Key Focus Areas
- Making connections between letters and words, then words and sentences
- Reading aloud and rhyming words
- Writing words and drawing pictures
- Introductory reading and writing
- Identifying elements of a book
STEM
STEM
Exploring STEM
STEM is integrated into the curriculum to spark your child’s natural curiosity. Children discover the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering, and math, allowing your child to imagine and build creations of their own.
Key Focus Areas
- Identifying numbers and sequences
- Using standard measuring tools
- Recording and sharing observations
- Building patterns
- Identifying the geometric features of objects
- Forecasting patterns in data
- Understanding basic scientific concepts
Social & Emotional Growth
Social & Emotional Growth
Discovering What’s Unique About Themselves and Others
Interpersonal skills are critical for social and emotional development. We empower your 4-year-old to work together, complete tasks, and form friendships with their fellow classmates.
Key Focus Areas
- Reading and talking about friendships
- Making choices based on interests
- Identifying socially acceptable behaviors
- Recognizing the impact of one’s own behavior
- Asking for or offering help
- Navigating their world with independence and confidence
Gross & Fine Motor Skills
Gross & Fine Motor Skills
Building Strength and Coordination
We provide your 4-year-old with fun ways to build muscle control, with activities designed to increase fine motor development and focus on movement and balance.
Key Focus Areas
- Practicing balance, control, and coordination
- Performing fine motor tasks
- Enhancing motor skills and coordination
- Combining complex movements
- Participating in gross motor activities over an extended amount of time
- Organized gross motor play
Character Essentials®
Character Essentials®
Character Is at Our Core
Our educators guide your child through activities inspired by our Character Essentials curriculum that build upon positive character traits like empathy, patience, and generosity.
Key Focus Areas
- Practicing expressing emotions
- Following routines
- Taking ownership of a task
- Building self-confidence
Music & More
Music & More
Learning Through Song and Movement
Research shows music improves cognitive development, learning skills, communication, and memory. Our age-appropriate curriculum develops your child’s language skills through song using our proprietary Music and More program.
Key Focus Areas
- Playing instruments
- Understanding rhythm and tempo through dance
- Using props to enhance movement
- Recognizing sounds and sound sources
- Repeating rhythmic patterns
Learn On®
Learn On®
Learning Beyond the Classroom
There is no end to learning, and there is potential in every moment, everywhere. We designed our Life Essentials curriculum with this in mind, giving you access to projects and activities that extend the learning from your child’s classroom to your home through our Academy Link® app.
Use your current location
A Day In Our Pre-K Child Care Program
Every moment is an opportunity to learn. Our pre-kindergarten program sets the foundation to help prepare children for school and life.
I start the day at learning centers
I made something amazing!
Today in the Blocks and Transportation center, we combined fine motor development with creativity, using blocks and connectors to build buildings.
We had my favorite lunch!
We sing rhyming songs together
We made lots of things out of paper today. We cut out shapes in different colors and glued them together to make them look like robots.
I spent some quiet time reading with my friends
What a day!
1/9
Pre-KindergartenProgram FAQs
What is your health and safety policy?
Each Kiddie Academy has secure entries, authorized pick-up procedures, cleaning protocols, and completed background checks for all staff. To keep children healthy, Kiddie Academy follows our Health Essentials℠ guidelines to uphold the highest level of health precautions and cleanliness.
What are teacher qualifications and training requirements?
All Kiddie Academy educators must meet or exceed the state requirements for child care providers, including background clearance, education qualifications, and ongoing professional development.
How do you use technology in the classroom?
In our Preschool and Pre-K programs, technology is incorporated as a supportive learning tool in a balanced way to encourage gross motor skills, fine motor skills, early literacy, and mathematic skills.
View More
Learning for Every Age
Request More Information
Learn more about what makes Kiddie Academy stand out among educational child care providers. Submit this form and a member of our team will get back to you shortly.
Or call: 847-692-5000
We'd Love To Hear From You
Contact us to learn more about what makes Kiddie Academy stand out among educational child care providers. A member of our team will contact you.
Kiddie Academy of Park Ridge
Request InformationSchedule a tour
Change Location
Kiddie Academy of Park Ridge
109 South Washington Avenue
Park Ridge, IL60068
847-692-5000
© 2008-2024 Essential Brands, Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy
