Programs

Children's Learning World offers programs for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age.
The Montessori children are exposed to a full curriculum, which is presented individually or in small groups. The subjects include reading, writing, math, spelling, geometry, botany, zoology, geography, history, physical education, art, music, and drama. Children take part in two performances during the school year. Extracurricular activities are also available throughout the school day.

Half Day - 8:30am to 11:30am
School Hour - 8:30am to 2:30pm
Full Day:  Infants, Toddlers, 2-3 years, 3-6 years and Elementary 6:30am to 6pm

 Flexible with days 

Infant/Toddler Program (6 weeks to 2 years)
Our infant program welcomes children who are at least 6 weeks old. The infant environment is designed to support movement, exploration and a variety of sensorial experiences. This includes materials of different textures, sounds, and form and function. The furniture and materials are low to the ground to encourage children to reach, climb and move as they like. The room is calm, warm and welcoming.

As infants transition from home to our prepared environment, our goal is make this transition as seamless as possible. Teachers partner with parents to learn about each child’s schedule, routine, and personality to ensure that each child feels safe and cared for. Teachers observe, support, and encourage natural development of the child. They serve as a guide and model for parents and children as they explore the environment.

Our toddler program is a natural progression from our infant program. Toddlers are encouraged to acquire self-help skills, growth and independence by using materials that will encourage fine motor and gross motor development. The environment supports the establishment of autonomy, separation and self-directed exploration, toilet learning, etc. The program includes every day living skills, activities for sensorimotor and language development, and exploration with art and science materials that are developmentally appropriate.

Young Child Program (2-3 year old) and Preschool and Kindergarten Program (3-6 year old)

• The Montessori Environment - In the Montessori classroom, the child develops his ability to set up a task, complete it, and return materials to the right area. Through practice in these exercises, the child increases his confidence in his ability and extends his length of concentration through numerous self-correcting didactic materials.
• Practical life - The child is provided with many exercises in “practical life” among which are the bow tying, lacing, buckling, zipping and buttoning exercises. This encourages a child’s self-care routines. Also included are the activities of pouring, scooping, spooning and other fine motor activities.
• Sensorial - As the child works with the Montessori sensorial exercises, he learns to make comparisons – similarities, differences, opposites, and eventually degrees of variation in texture, quantity, color and sound. The repetition of the exercises teaches him to establish order and further extend his knowledge and degree of concentration.
• Language - The child begins his pre-reading and writing skills by the learning sounds by their phonetic sound and tracing the sandpaper letters. As he touches and traces the letter, the teacher voices the appropriate sound (using their most used sound). This natural way of learning sounds/letters prepares the child to read.
• The moveable alphabets allow the child to compose words, and the pronunciation of the component sounds. In the second step, the teacher dictates the words and the child composes them, after which the child soon becomes able to compose the words alone. The child proceeds at his own rate of mastery to the more complicated reading tasks.
• Mathematics - The development of mathematical concepts starts with the sensory materials. Following the mastery of these materials, multiple versions are taught to the child with increased complexity. Montessori designed materials were made to lead the child from concrete academic concepts to abstract principles.

Elementary Program (6-12 year old)
The elementary curriculum is designed to nurture the children’s love of learning. The children are not only developing academic skills, but they are learning to be self-directed, responsible group members who apply their problem-solving strategies to their community.

• The Montessori Environment - In the Montessori classroom, the child continues to develop his ability to set up a task, complete it, and return materials to the right area. The child increases his confidence in his ability and extends his length of concentration through numerous self-correcting didactic materials.
• Sensorial - As the child works with the Montessori sensorial exercises, he learns to make comparisons – similarities, differences, opposites, and eventually degrees of variation in texture, quantity, color and sound. The repetition of the exercises teaches him to establish order and further extend his knowledge and degree of concentration.
• Language - The child advances his reading and writing skills by building words and sentences using phonetics. The child will work through leveled reading books to allow for practice, mastery, and advancement of literacy skills. The child will study grammar, spelling, and mechanics.
• Mathematics - The development of mathematical concepts continues with the sensory materials. As with the younger classes, multiple versions of a concept are taught to the child with increased complexity. Montessori designed materials were made to lead the child from concrete academic concepts to abstract principles. Arithmetic or operations, geometry, spacial reasoning, time, money, and logical reasoning are taught.
• Cultural studies, Science, and Social Science - The child explores integrated zoology, botany, anthropology, geography, geology, physical and life sciences, and art. The child explores the connection of all living things and ways to represent knowledge. The child learns about his civic duty and to be a responsible citizen. Students choreograph and perform a play at the end of the year.
• Bullying Policy for Children's Learning World 
  Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment
  Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors and providing all students equal access to a safe, non-hostile learning environment are important District goals.
  Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, military status, unfavorable discharge status from the military service, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender-related identity or expression, ancestry, age, religion, physical or mental disability, order of protection status, status of being homeless, or actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy, association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing characteristic is prohibited in each of the following situations:
• During any school program or activities.
• While in school or on school property.
• Through the transmission of information from a school computer, a school computer network, or other similar electronic school equipment.
• Through the transmission of information from a computer that is accessed at a non-school-related location, activity, function, or program or from the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned or used by CLW if the bullying causes a substantial disruption to the educational process or orderly operation of a school. 
• Definitions from 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7
  Bullying includes cyberbullying and means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, directed toward a student or students that has or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or more of the following:
• Placing the student or students in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s or students’ person or property;
• Bullying that causes a substantially effect on the student’s or students’ physical or mental health.
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ academic performance; or
• Substantially interfering with the student’s or students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
• Bullying may take various forms, including without limitation one or more of the following: harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. This list is meant to be illustrative and non-exhaustive.
  Cyberbullying means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, including without limitation any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photo-electronic system, or photo-optical system, including without limitation electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. Cyberbullying includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages if the creation or impersonation creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying. Cyberbullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons if the distribution or posting creates any of the effects enumerated in the definition of bullying.
  Restorative measures means a continuum of school-based alternatives to exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, that: (I) are adapted to the particular needs of the school and community, (II) contribute to maintaining school safety, (III) protect the integrity of a positive and productive learning climate, (IV)teach students the personal and interpersonal skills they will need to be successful in school and society, (V) serve to build and restore relationships among students, families, schools, and communities, (VI) reduce the likelihood of future disruption by balancing accountability with an understanding of students’ behavioral health needs in order to keep students in school, and (VII) increase student accountability if the incident of bullying is based on religion, race, ethnicity, or any other category that is identified in the Ill. Human Rights Act.
  School personnel means persons employed by CLW or who volunteer, including without limitation school to administrators and teachers.
  Bullying Prevention and Response Plan
  The CLW designee shall develop and maintain a bullying prevention and response plan that advances the goal of providing all students with a safe learning environment free of bullying and harassment. This plan must be consistent with the requirements listed below; each numbered requirement, 1-12, corresponds with the same number in the list of required policy components in 105 ILCS 5/27-23.7(b) 1-12.
• CLW uses the definition of bullying as provided in this policy.
• Bullying is contrary to State law and the policy of CLW/District. However, nothing in the District’s bullying prevention and response plan is intended to infringe upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise of religion or religiously based views protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or under Section 3 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution.
• Students are encouraged to immediately report bullying. A report may be made orally or in writing to CLW Board, CLW Administration or any CLW Teacher with whom the student is comfortable speaking. Anyone, including staff members and parents/guardians, who has information about actual or threatened bullying is encouraged to report it to the CLW named officials or any staff member. Anonymous reports are also accepted; however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report. 
• Nondiscrimination Coordinator/ Complaints:  
• Rosemary Fish Administration/Director 1-847-470-0930 childrenslearningworld@gmail.com
• Stacy Gordon Executive Director 1-847-470-0930 childrenslearningworld@gmail.com
• Consistent with federal and State laws and rules governing student privacy rights, the Director shall promptly inform the parent(s)/guardian(s) of every student involved in an alleged incident of bullying.
• The Directors shall promptly investigate and address reports of bullying, by, among other things:
• Making all reasonable efforts to complete the investigation within 10 school days after the date the report of a bullying incident was received and taking into consideration additional relevant information received during the course of the investigation about the reported bullying incident.
• Involving appropriate school support personnel and other staff persons with knowledge, experience, and training on bullying prevention, as deemed appropriate, in the investigation process.
• Notifying CLW school administrator or director of the reported incident of bullying as soon as possible after the report is received.
• Consistent with federal and State laws and rules governing student privacy rights, providing parents/guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation information about the investigation and an opportunity to meet with the school administrator to discuss the investigation, the findings of the investigation, and the actions taken to address the reported incident of bullying.
• The Director reported incident of bullying is within the permissible scope of the District’s jurisdiction and shall require that the District provide the victim with information regarding services that are available within the District and community, such as counseling, support services, and other programs.
• The director or administrator will use interventions to address bullying, that may include, but are not limited to, school social work services.
• A reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of bullying is prohibited. Any person’s act of reprisal or retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge with regard to employees, or suspension and/or expulsion with regard to students.
• A student will not be punished for reporting bullying or supplying information, even if CLW  investigation concludes that no bullying occurred. However, a person who is found to have falsely accused another of bullying, as a means of retaliation, as a means of bullying, or provided false information will be treated as either: (a) bullying, (b) student discipline up to and including suspension and/or expulsion, and/or (c) both (a) and (b) for purposes of determining any consequences or other appropriate remedial actions.
• CLW bullying prevention and response plan is based on the engagement of a range of school stakeholders, including students and parents/guardians.
• In the student handbook, and, where applicable, post it where other policies, rules, and standards of conduct are currently posted. The policy must be distributed annually to parents/guardians, students, and school personnel (including new employees when hired) and must also be provided periodically throughout the school year to students and faculty.
• Pursuant to State law and policy 2:240, Board Policy Development, the Board monitors this policy every two years by conducting a review and re-evaluation of this policy to make any necessary and appropriate revisions. CLW Board with its re-evaluation and assessment of this policy’s outcomes and effectiveness. Updates to this policy will reflect any necessary and appropriate revisions. This process shall include, without limitation:
• The frequency of victimization;
• Student, staff, and family observations of safety at a school;
• Identification of areas of a school where bullying occurs;
• The types of bullying utilized; and
• Bystander intervention or participation.
• The evaluation process may use relevant data and information that the CLW/District already collects for other purposes. Acceptable documentation to satisfy the re-evaluated policy submission include one of the following:
• An updated version of the policy with the amendment/modification date included in the reference portion of the policy;
• If no revisions are deemed necessary, a copy of board minutes indicating that the policy was re-evaluated and no changes were deemed to be necessary; or
• A signed statement from the CLW Board President indicating that the Board re-evaluated the policy and no changes to it were necessary (after two years).  3/8/2023