Jefferson Early Learning Center serves Park Ridge-Niles District 64’s preschool program with classrooms designed to meet its students’ varying abilities and needs.
Tuition for preschool classes may be free if families meet income eligibility requirements (200% of the Federal Poverty Level). Proof of income must be provided using forms available on the PK Department’s web page.
Learning Environments
The Jefferson Early Learning Center opens doors to an unparalleled world of learning. This building supports student growth across all areas of development – language, pre-academic skills, social-emotional knowledge, and motor skills – through monthly units that explore topics of particular interest to children. Students work alongside teachers, occupational therapists and speech pathologists; additionally, they receive specialist support such as music, art, or movement lessons.
The school reimagines how children experience education, providing a foundation for lifelong success. It offers an impressive variety of learning environments on its campus and serves as a center for community collaboration, including two playgrounds featuring hills for running up and down; bike-riding trails; nontraditional classrooms such as an International Management District experience room featuring mural-like images from Mexico Market and Mexican Folkloric Dancer; Vietnamese Home Model; and African storytelling traditions.
The Jefferson campus also houses the Parents as Teachers program, pairing parents and children with trained professionals for regular home visits during a child’s early years. Situated in an established, low-income neighborhood, this school advances neighborhood revitalization efforts by offering full-day preschool and daycare for a range of ages.
Social Interactions
District 200 students returning this fall will enter a 43,000-square-foot Jefferson Early Learning Center funded through a community referendum, opening them up to an exciting journey of lifelong learning and development.
The new Jefferson School was designed to meet the educational and social needs of students ranging from those who are highly verbal to those with mobility challenges. Three- to five-year-olds of all abilities can learn in classrooms equipped with teaching tools like adjustable classroom chairs, which enable teachers and physical therapists to position them as necessary; child-height windows open up onto views of its central courtyard where children can build independence and confidence by playing on specially-designed playground equipment.
Students also have access to a sensory-motor room, which offers physical and cognitive activities, while corridor breakout areas at school feature cushioned seating, whiteboards with magnetic boards, moveable marker racks, and an HVAC system designed not to disrupt students with auditory sensitivities.
The Jefferson ELC provides care and education services for District 200 employees’ children and college students enrolled in early childhood education courses or curricula. Serving full-day pre-K programs with daily breakfast and lunch services and transportation within their attendance zones, as services for students with disabilities are provided, all while creating a laboratory experience for learning in the care and education of young children.
Physical Activity
Jefferson Early Learning Center students aged three to five never know what awaits them when looking out their child-height classroom windows, depending on the season and weather conditions. While planting flowers or adding food for birds in raised garden beds might be on their minds, other times they might observe classmates balancing on balance beams in the motor skills room or riding trikes around the courtyard may take priority.
At the center of each building lies a sensory courtyard encouraging students to create and collaborate. Complete with raised benches for various play/instructional activities, a trike track, and a sand table – this unique learning space supports our school mission by encouraging independence and confidence among children.
At each level of this building, fixtures were designed with children in mind. Classroom chairs feature 12-inch seat heights to facilitate teachers and physical therapists quickly adapting them for students of varying ability levels, while corridor breakout areas feature cushioned seating with magnetic whiteboards, moveable marker racks, quieter HVAC systems, and quieter HVAC systems to help all pupils concentrate effectively and focus on schoolwork.
As District 64’s preschool program stands out, Jefferson ECC is an example of high-quality education for young children in low-income communities. Socioeconomic diversity is encouraged at this center through an enrollment mix of children from low-income families receiving public subsidies and those whose families pay full tuition fees.
Nutrition
Healthy and nutritious meals are integral to students’ well-being and academic performance, helping them to flourish in school and achieve optimal success. All Jefferson City Schools students benefit from nutritious breakfast and lunch provided by the district food service department based on USDA nutrition guidelines and meeting State of Montana requirements.
Jefferson Early Learning Center classrooms feature a full-time registered dietitian who works closely with teachers and students to ensure children have the best start in life. She oversees a food services program to ensure students receive diets rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables while low in fat and sodium content.
The Jefferson College Early Childhood Center is an accredited child development program serving faculty, staff, and community children alike. It serves as a laboratory setting for Area Technical School and College students enrolled in early childhood education courses or related curricula related to care and education of young children. The aim is to demonstrate and impart theoretical knowledge of human behavior and learning; develop attitudes that facilitate growth, and provide teaching strategies that help children realize their maximum potential.
The Jefferson Collaborative is a community of organizations dedicated to supporting children from birth through four years old and their families. They aim to make high-quality early care and education available to all families while helping them navigate the complex decisions of selecting early learning programs for their children.
