About Us
Our Ministry
The Children’s Center of Celebration is a ministry of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, serving not only the educational and spiritual needs of the young child but also of the parents; supporting the parenting journey through education and spiritual growth as expressed through a warm welcoming faith community.
Our Facility
Our preschool facility is second to none. Equipped with Community Playthings furnishings from the Bruderhof Community in New York, our classrooms communicate the warmth of home. Just off the south side of our wing is a state of the art playground with a bike path and a sensory garden where children can plant and dig. Inside, on down the hallway, we even have an “art kitchen” where children can bake, create, or maybe both!
Our Sessions
Our blended age 3 hour sessions in both our 2 day and 3 day programs use the Illinois Early Learning Standards to shape and create learning experiences. Developed by the Illinois State Board of Education with the assistance of hundreds of educators, these standards were first introduced in draft form in June 2000. Among those playing a major role in formulating the draft standards were the Chicago Public Schools, DeKalb Community Unit School District, Indian Prairie School District, and Rockford Public School District. Since publication of the draft, hundreds of educators and parents, and a wide array of national, state and local experts, have submitted feedback on the standards. The final draft of the standards is a synthesis of their many views and is used today in quality early childhood program delivery.
Our Standards
The standards are organized to parallel, in content, the Illinois Learning Standards for K-12 education. Included are benchmarks for learning in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Physical Development and Health, Fine Arts, Foreign Language, and Social/Emotional Development.
Our Curriculum
The only area lacking in the state standards is the child’s spiritual development. Our “Godly Play” faith curriculum fits in here and seamlessly connects and runs through our everyday classroom life as children encounter, play out, and respond to the sacred stories of the Old and New Testaments. These are the same stories many moms and dads have grown up with and revisit in their own faith life from time to time. It’s not unusual for the preschooler to bring the parent back to these stories; or, in some cases introduce the story to the parent for the first time ……. in which case, it is truly family “godly play”.
“Godly Play” is an open access approach that works through the community of children to give them the tools to identify, name, and value their religious experience as a child. It’s goal is to teach children the art of using religious language ….. parable, sacred story, silence, and liturgical action …… to help them become more aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives. Godly Play was developed and tested for more than 20 years by Episcopal priest, author, and teacher Jerome Berryman and is currently being used in churches of many denominations throughout the United States, U.K., Australia, and Canada.
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