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Early Childhood Center

Joliet Junior College's licensed Early Childhood Center is offered to students and staff at the college to make teaching and learning more convenient.

• We make it possible for students or employees with children ages 3 and older who attend classes or work while incurring minimal child care expenses.
• We maintain a program of learning experiences while providing care and protection in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment.
• We provide guidance and encourage the social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth of the individual child.
• Provide opportunities for social interactions during short tours and activities on campus.

We Are State Certified

The center is state-certified and operated by childcare professionals, student workers, and volunteers interested in gaining experience in an early-education setting.

Our Philosophy

The Early Childhood Center was established to provide young children with a safe and healthy environment where they are nurtured and cared for by responsible caregivers. It is open to members of the JJC community, students and staff. Childcare professionals take a developmental approach to the preschool curriculum and follow the guidelines developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The Early Childhood Program

Development

ECC takes a developmental approach to its preschool curriculum and follows guidelines established by the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The staff at the center supports and encourages children to actively participate in the learning process through both child-initiated and teacher-supported activities.

Encouragement

The classrooms provide a language-rich environment and activity centers that promote decision-making, problem solving, and reasoning skills through prediction learning, observation, and experimentation. Children are continually encouraged to explore, discover, and formulate based on their construct of knowledge.

Language and Literacy

Offering a wide variety of learning materials and flexibility in daily classroom schedules, the center also offers children a thematic approach to their learning experiences. Our highly skilled staff expands on the knowledge based in extending the learning process through themes based on familiar and meaningful topics. All classroom activities are designed to achieve long-range goals for children in all domains, and include language and literacy, math and science, social and emotional development, physical health and development, and creative arts.

Inclusion

Joliet Junior College is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, unfavorable military discharge, or any other unlawful basis in its admission, employment, educational programs, and activities. Inquires should be addressed to the Director of Human Resources, Joliet Junior College, 1215 Houbolt Road, Joliet, IL 60431-8938.