--- title: "Preschool Curriculum for 3 to 5 Year Olds in Illinois" id: "23445" type: "page" slug: "preschool-curriculum-in-illinois" published_at: "2026-06-01T00:26:40+00:00" modified_at: "2026-06-01T00:26:40+00:00" url: "https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/preschool-curriculum-in-illinois/" markdown_url: "https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/preschool-curriculum-in-illinois.md" excerpt: "IELDS-alignedKindergarten-readiness focusedBrightwheel integratedNAEYC approved Explore other Experience Curriculum age bands in Illinois Experience BabyBirth to 18 monthsExperience Toddler18 to 36 monthsExperience Preschool3 to 5 years About the curriculum What is Experience Preschool? Experience Preschool is a research-based curriculum designed for..." taxonomy_language: - "English" --- [Brightwheel](https://mybrightwheel.com/) › [Experience Curriculum](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/) › [Preschool Curriculum](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/) › [Preschool Curriculum In Illinois](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/preschool-curriculum-in-illinois/) › Preschool Curriculum for 3 to 5 Year Olds in Illinois # Preschool Curriculum for 3 to 5 Year Olds in Illinois ## A complete, research-based preschool curriculum for Illinois childcare programs — IELDS-aligned, kindergarten-readiness focused, delivered monthly, and integrated with brightwheel. IELDS-alignedKindergarten-readiness focusedBrightwheel integratedNAEYC approved Explore other Experience Curriculum age bands in Illinois [Experience BabyBirth to 18 months](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/infant-curriculum/infant-curriculum-in-illinois) [Experience Toddler18 to 36 months](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/toddler-curriculum/toddler-curriculum-in-illinois) [Experience Preschool3 to 5 years](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/preschool-curriculum-in-illinois) About the curriculum ## What is Experience Preschool? Experience Preschool is a research-based curriculum designed for children 3 through 5 years. Each month, a complete curriculum kit arrives at your program — including lesson plans, hands-on materials, teacher guides, and family engagement tools — everything you need to build kindergarten-ready learners. Experience Preschool’s monthly kits are organized around developmentally rich themes that build language, literacy, mathematics, science, and social-emotional skills in an integrated, play-based framework. Each theme connects to all eight developmental domains, supporting whole-child development without fragmented subject-area instruction. Designed for preschool learning realities Experience Preschool balances structured learning with play-based exploration. Lesson plans are designed for 15–30 minute whole-group and small-group experiences, with clear teacher language, differentiation tips, and embedded assessment opportunities. #### What’s in each kit - 4 weeks of daily lesson plans - Hands-on learning materials - Teacher’s guide with differentiation tips - Family engagement take-home materials - Assessment and observation prompts - Literacy-rich read-aloud connections - Brightwheel digital activity companion #### Kindergarten-readiness focus - Phonological awareness and early literacy - Number sense, counting, and early math - Scientific inquiry and observation skills - Social-emotional skills and self-regulation - Oral language development and vocabulary - Fine motor: writing readiness, cutting, drawing - Approaches to learning: persistence, curiosity Illinois-specific context ## Why Experience Preschool is a strong fit for Illinois programs ### Illinois preschool & Pre-K Key regulatory and market context for Illinois programs 1:4Illinois’s preschool-to-caregiver ratio for licensed preschool programs IELDSIllinois Early Learning and Development Standards ExceleRateExceleRate Illinois — the state’s quality rating and improvement system Illinois Preschool for All providers must use research-based curriculum aligned to IELDS. Experience Preschool’s domain structure maps directly to IELDS goals. ExceleRate Illinois is the state’s QRIS. Gold Circle of Quality programs receive CCAP priority placement and enhanced reimbursement rates. ### Illinois preschool licensing context Illinois’s 1:10 preschool ratio supports small-group instruction and individualized learning. Experience Preschool’s lesson plans include both whole-group and small-group activity formats, with clear teacher guidance for differentiation across developmental levels — making it practical for mixed-ability preschool classrooms. Skills & developmental domains ## Developmental domains covered in Experience Preschool Experience Preschool integrates all eight developmental domains from Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework, with activities calibrated specifically for the 3–5 year age range. Every monthly kit builds skills across domains simultaneously — supporting kindergarten readiness in a coherent, integrated way. Social-Emotional Attachment, trust, emotional attunement, early social responsiveness Physical Gross motor milestones, fine motor exploration, sensory-motor development Language & Literacy Pre-verbal communication, early vocabulary, caregiver narration and reading Math & Reasoning Cause-and-effect, object permanence, early spatial and number reasoning Science Sensory exploration, observation, natural curiosity about the world Creative Arts Sensory art experiences, music, movement, early aesthetic awareness Social Studies Family and community identity, cultural connections, sense of belonging Approaches to Learning Curiosity, persistence, initiative, attention — foundational learning behaviors IELDS alignment Experience Preschool activities map to specific IELDS preschool standards across all domains. An alignment document maps every activity-to-standard match, supporting documentation requirements for Illinois’s ExceleRate system and Pre-K programs. Sample monthly themes ## What arrives each month Each Experience Preschool kit is organized around a developmentally rich monthly theme. Here’s a sample of what a program year looks like. SeptPre-K #### Community Helpers Social studies theme exploring community roles, helpers, and civic responsibility. Builds vocabulary, early writing, and social awareness skills. Social StudiesLanguageWriting NovPre-K #### Exploring Nature Science-focused theme with hands-on nature exploration, observation journals, and early data collection. Builds scientific inquiry, math, and literacy skills. ScienceMathInquiry FebPre-K #### Friends and Feelings Social-emotional theme building empathy, conflict resolution, and friendship skills. Supports self-regulation and the social skills needed for kindergarten success. Social-EmotionalSelf-regulationCommunication AprPre-K #### Growing and Changing Life science theme with planting, observation, and life cycle exploration. Builds early literacy (informational text), math (measurement, data), and scientific thinking. ScienceLiteracyMath Digital integration ## Experience Preschool and brightwheel: a complete solution Experience Curriculum is now fully integrated with brightwheel, the #1 childcare management platform. For Illinois programs already using brightwheel for billing, attendance, and family communication, adding Experience Preschool creates a seamless curriculum-to-portfolio workflow. ### Document as you teach Educators can log observations directly in brightwheel during or immediately after activities. Notes link to developmental milestones and build each child’s portfolio automatically. ### Keep families connected Parents receive real-time photos, videos, and activity updates through brightwheel. Experience Preschool family take-home content can be shared digitally, keeping caregivers at home aligned with the classroom. For programs documenting Illinois IELDS preschool observations, brightwheel’s milestone tagging and portfolio features significantly reduce paperwork. Documentation can be exported for ExceleRate reporting or family conferences. Frequently asked questions ## Questions about Experience Preschool in Illinois #### Is Experience Preschool aligned to Illinois’s IELDS preschool standards? Yes. Experience Preschool is formally aligned to Illinois’s Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (ages 3–5). An alignment document maps each Experience Preschool activity and skill to specific IELDS preschool domains and standards. #### Can Experience Preschool help my Illinois program achieve a higher ExceleRate rating? Many Illinois programs find that using a structured, research-based, IELDS-aligned curriculum supports their ExceleRate rating. Experience Preschool’s built-in observation tools and kindergarten-readiness focus also support rating requirements. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your local childcare resource agency. #### Is Experience Preschool appropriate for Illinois Pre-K programs? Yes. Experience Preschool is designed for 3–5 year olds and aligns to Illinois’s Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (ages 3–5). Programs participating in Illinois’s Pre-K initiatives will find that Experience Preschool’s structured, standards-aligned approach meets curriculum requirements. #### What is the cost of Experience Preschool for Illinois childcare programs? Experience Preschool pricing is based on program size and the number of children served. Illinois programs may also qualify for subsidized pricing if serving children through state-funded Pre-K programs. Pricing details and a free tour are available through the [brightwheel website](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/) . #### How does Experience Preschool support kindergarten readiness for Illinois children? Experience Preschool is designed with kindergarten readiness as a core outcome. Activities build skills across all eight developmental domains, with particular emphasis on language and literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills that Illinois kindergarten teachers identify as most important for school success. Keep exploring ## Related pages [Same stateExperience Toddler in IllinoisFor programs serving children 18–36 months in Illinois](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/toddler-curriculum/toddler-curriculum-in-illinois) [Same stateExperience Preschool in IllinoisPre-K curriculum for Illinois programs serving 3–5 year olds](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/preschool-curriculum-in-illinois) [Standards alignmentIllinois Early Learning StandardsHow Experience Curriculum maps to Illinois’s IELDS standards](https://mybrightwheel.com/early-learning-standards/illinois/) [Same age bandPreschool Curriculum HubPreschool curriculum resources and state-specific links for all 50 states](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/) ## Ready to bring Experience Preschool to your Illinois program? Research-based preschool curriculum for Illinois programs — delivered to your door every month. [Get a free tour](https://mybrightwheel.com/experience-curriculum/)