CONCORDIA PLACE

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMSEARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION & CAREEXPERIENCED AND ACCREDITED TEACHERS NURTURE CHILDREN'S LEARNING, CURIOSITY, AND INDEPENDENCE WITH FUN AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT THEIR COGNITIVE, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. IN FY25, CONCORDIA PLACE SERVED OVER 690 CHILDREN AGES SIX WEEKS TO FIVE YEARS, ACROSS FOUR SITES. ALL FOUR SITES ARE ACCREDITED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN (NAEYC), A NATIONAL STANDARD THAT IDENTIFIES QUALITY, RESEARCH-BASED EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS. FEWER THAN 10% OF CHILDCARE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE NAEYC ACCREDITATION, DEMONSTRATING CONCORDIA'S COMMITMENT TO HIGH-QUALITY PRACTICES. CONCORDIA PLACE'S QUALIFIED TEACHERS, ALL OF WHOM HAVE DEGREES IN EDUCATION, UNDERSTAND DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: IF CHILDREN HAVE ANY ISSUES OR DELAYS, THEY ARE DETECTED EARLY, ACTIVITIES ARE ADJUSTED FOR THEIR NEEDS, AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS ARE IMPLEMENTED AS NECESSARY. AS A RESULT, CHILDREN WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT RISK OF ACADEMIC OR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS ARRIVE AT KINDERGARTEN PREPARED FOR FUTURE ACADEMIC SUCCESS. THROUGH A PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM, CONCORDIA'S TEACHERS HELP STUDENTS PREPARE FOR FUTURE ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL SUCCESS BY GAINING DIVERSE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS, INCLUDING MATH AND COUNTING, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, AND FINE AND GROSS MOTOR SKILLS. TO MEASURE THESE SKILLS, CONCORDIA PLACE UTILIZES THE TEACHING STRATEGIES GOLD ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, THE BENCHMARK FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, WHICH MEASURES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ACROSS SIX DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS: SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, LANGUAGE, COGNITIVE, LITERACY, AND MATH. OF THE CONCORDIA STUDENTS TRANSITIONING TO KINDERGARTEN IN FY25, 90% MET OR EXCEEDED STANDARDS FOR ALL SIX DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS. THIS SHOWS THAT TEACHERS ARE ACADEMICALLY AND SOCIALLY PREPARING STUDENTS FOR KINDERGARTEN AND BEYOND. HOME VISITINGIN CONCORDIA PLACE'S HOME VISITING PROGRAM, FOUR EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERTS PROVIDE TWICE-PER-MONTH ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS TO EXPECTING PARENTS AND PARENTS WITH CHILDREN UP TO AGE THREE, ENHANCING THE MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH OF THE ENTIRE FAMILY. HOME VISITORS TEACH PARENTS HOW TO PREPARE THEIR INFANTS FOR FUTURE GROWTH BY ENSURING THAT FAMILIES HAVE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO PROVIDE A LEARNING-RICH ENVIRONMENT FOR THEIR CHILDREN. UTILIZING THE PARENTS AS TEACHERS CURRICULUM, HOME VISITORS SUPPORT EXPECTING MOTHERS AND NEW PARENTS BY HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF PREGNANCY AND TEACHING THEM ABOUT THE CRITICAL STAGES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT. HOME VISITORS ALSO REFER NEW MOTHERS EXPERIENCING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION TO ADVOCATE AURORA HEALTH'S MOVING BEYOND DEPRESSION PROGRAM, AS WELL AS TO THEIR DOULA PROGRAM FOR BIRTHING AND POSTPARTUM SUPPORT. IN FY25, CONCORDIA SERVED OVER 70 FAMILIES THROUGH HOME VISITING, NEARLY DOUBLING THE NUMBER SERVED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. TO QUALIFY FOR HOME VISITING, FAMILIES MUST BE CHICAGO RESIDENTS, QUALIFY AS LOW-INCOME, AND RECEIVE WIC OR SNAP BENEFITS. MANY OF THE FAMILIES SERVED THROUGH HOME VISITING ARE INCREDIBLY UNDER-RESOURCED, WITH OVER 55% EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR LIVING IN UNSTABLE HOUSING SITUATIONS. CONCORDIA'S PROGRAM IS ALSO CULTURALLY RELEVANT FOR THE MAJORITY-LATINO POPULATION SERVED - ALL OF OUR HOME VISITORS ARE BILINGUAL IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND SHARE THE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS OF THE FAMILIES THEY WORK WITH. SCHOOL-AGE 365CONCORDIA'S AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAM FOR 5- TO 12-YEAR-OLDS, SCHOOL-AGE 365 BLENDS RECREATION AND EDUCATION, ENABLING CHILDREN TO CONTINUE THEIR SCHOOL-DAY LEARNING IN A NURTURING AND WARM ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH ART, GAMES, COOKING, MUSIC, DRAMA, AND SPORTS, CHILDREN LEARN SOCIALIZATION, TEAM BUILDING, PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS. ALL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A NUTRITIOUS SNACK AND SUPPORT TO HELP THEM COMPLETE THEIR HOMEWORK. IN ADDITION TO HOMEWORK HELP, CHILDREN ENGAGE IN ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS WITH READING AND WRITING, SCIENCE, MATH, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND ART COMPONENTS THAT ALIGN WITH THE ILLINOIS LEARNING STANDARDS. CONCORDIA PLACE OFFERS SUPERVISED PICKUP FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING FROM TWO LOCAL SCHOOLS. DURING THE SUMMER, SCHOOL-AGE 365 OFFERS EVEN MORE FUN AND LEARNING THROUGH WEEKLY THEMED ACTIVITIES, FIELD TRIPS, AND NUTRITIOUS MEALS-TWO SNACKS AND AN ORGANIC LUNCH EACH DAY.