December 31, 1969 06:00:00
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 -5 years old to 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.
- We provide opportunities for social interactions during short tours and activities on campus.
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).
State Licensed Full Day/Part Day Preschool Program
The Early Childhood Center is a Nationally Accredited, ExceleRate GOLD, learning laboratory for JJC students enrolled in early childhood education programs. The center is state licensed and operated by childcare professionals, student workers, and volunteers interested in gaining experience in an early-education setting.
The center accepts children from the ages of three to five years old. The Early Childhood Center offers full-day and part-day options to better serve the needs of our student-parent population and offer flexibility in scheduling.
The Center's hours of operation for the Fall & Spring semesters are 7:30am-5:00pm, Monday - Friday. We follow the academic calendar for holidays, semester breaks and professional development. When the College is closed, the ECC will also be closed.
Fees for registration, deposits and tuition can be found on the Enrollment Information page. Students may use their PELL awards to pay for child care services. We also accept Child Care Assistance Programs (CCAP) through Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&R). Limited scholarships may be available through an application process when funding is available.
Early Childhood Center Observation Request FormThe Early Childhood Program
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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.
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Encouragement
The classrooms provide a language-rich environment and interest areas 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
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Language & 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 children's knowledge utilizing the creative curriculum and themes based on meaningful topics and studies.
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.
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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:
Director of Human Resources
Joliet Junior College
1215 Houbolt Road
Joliet, IL 60431-8938
