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Welcome To The Blue Gills Room!
Half-Day Preschool Packed With Pre-K Preparation

Morning Pre-K (Blue Gills) | 3 - 5 Years​ | Serving Manhattan, IL

This Mixed 3 thru 5-Year-Old Preschool Program Runs Monday - Friday From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Full Pre-K Curriculum When You Only Need Half-Day Care

If time is of the essence, the Blue Gills class is the perfect fit. This half-day, play-based program is a flexible option when you don’t need a full day of care but want your child to have a preschool experience before kindergarten.
Full Pre-K Curriculum When You Only Need Half-Day Care
ExceleRate Illinois Silver Circle Of Quality Award Recipient

ExceleRate Illinois Silver Circle of Quality Award Recipient

Your family deserves high-quality care and a deep commitment to excellence. You get that, and more at a center awarded the ExceleRate Illinois Silver Circle of Quality award, not once, but for 9 years running!

Family Support Builds A Strong Home-To-School Connection

Teachers partner with you and your family to build a strong home-to-school connection through continuity of care, open communication, and regular evaluations. Keeping everyone on the same page ensures your little one receives everything they need for a successful start.
Family Support Builds A Strong Home-To-School Connection

Teachers enhance your home-to-school connection with:

  • The Ages & Stages Questionnaire so your child’s teachers can partner with you to assess your pre-kindergartner’s developmental and social-emotional milestones.
  • Bi-annual in-person parent-teacher conferences allow you and their teachers to connect face-to-face in your child’s learning environment.
  • Help with finding services if assessments or observations show gaps or delays that need addressing.
A Graduation Ceremony Eases The Transition To Kindergarten

A Graduation Ceremony Eases The Transition To Kindergarten

Celebrating your child’s achievements and milestones with a graduation bash at the end of the year helps give your little scholar a sense of accomplishment and pride while easing the transition to “big school”.

Your Pre-Kindergartner Works Toward School Readiness By:

  • Managing classroom routines, rules, & transitions
  • Showing concern for others’ feelings
  • Taking responsibility for their own well-being
  • Demonstrating complex balancing & motor skills
  • Using refined wrist & finger movements
  • Telling stories about objects, events, times, & places with order and details
  • Thinking symbolically
  • Understanding language
  • Attending & engaging
  • Managing feelings
  • Engaging in sociodramatic play
  • Interacting during book conversations & read-alouds
  • Showing flexibility & inventiveness in thinking
  • Showing awareness of print: letters, words, spaces, upper & lower case letters, & some punctuation
  • Identifying & naming 10 - 20 letters

A Loving Environment That Builds Strong Character Skills

Pre-kindergarten teachers focus on teaching your child the crucial social-emotional skills that will carry them through life. They become a good, well-rounded person by building strong character skills, like respect and empathy, to encourage healthy relationships.
A Loving Environment That Builds Strong Character Skills

Teachers Are Readily Available To Chat About Your Child’s Progress During Drop Offs & Pick Ups!

An Extra Teacher In The Room For Individualized Learning

An Extra Teacher In The Room For Individualized Learning

The Pre-K class has an extra teacher in the room plus a lower-than-state-required child-to-teacher ratio of 7:1, allowing teachers to put more time, energy, and focus on your little one’s unique skills, pace, and abilities, leading to better academic performance.

Amazing Teachers Guide Your Child Through Play

Knowledgeable teachers with years of experience gently guide your kiddo toward school readiness using the Creative Curriculum©, which combines engaging play-based learning with hands-on activities focusing on their social and emerging preschool skills.
Amazing Teachers Guide Your Child Through Play

Interested In Full-Day Pre-K Classes?

Check Out The Orange Owls Room!

Strong Parent Involvement Leads To Long-Term Success

Long-term success begins with good parent communication and involvement. The more involved you are in your child’s early education, the less stress and anxiety they feel, so you’re always welcome to chat or join as a party or field trip chaperone.

A Dedicated In-Class Bathroom Means There’s No Need To Leave For Washroom Breaks!

An Acre Of Fun, Friends, & Lots Of Physical Activity

With over an acre of playground, all students can be outside at once and STILL have plenty of room to run around, climb structures, tend gardens, and have wild imaginative adventures with friends while building excellent motor skills.
An Acre Of Fun, Friends, & Lots Of Physical Activity

FAQs

We are open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., year-round.

We have professional cleaners come in every day to ensure sparkling, germ-free spaces. Staff also sanitizes throughout the day, and we have air purifiers and electrostatic sprayers to eliminate any pesky microbes in the air or on hard-to-clean surfaces.

All entrance doors require a coded fob for access, plus the yard is completely fenced. We also have internal-use security cameras throughout the center, and all staff members hold a current CPR certification.

Hear What Parents Have To Say...

Put Your Child On The Path To Excellence With

Support From Tenured Teachers & Award-Winning Care

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