The Illinois State Board of Education has recognized Northside Elementary and its Ladders to Learning Preschool with the Circle of Quality distinction for the school’s All/Preschool for All Expansion (PFA/PFAE) program.
Ladders to Learning is designed to help children who are not yet old enough for kindergarten succeed in school. Children attend five days a week with two sessions–one in the morning from 7:45 to 10:45 and another in the afternoon from 12:15 to 3:00. Students are given the opportunity to gain competence, confidence, and self-worth.
The Ladders to Learning administrator is Northside’s principal, Joe Mowen.
“Earning the Gold Circle of Quality is a great honor for our building and a credit to our outstanding staff,” said Principal Mowen. “It’s a privilege to be able to serve our preschool students and their families.”
The Ladders to Learning team includes teacher Tricia Girten, teacher assistants Julie Durian and Mindy Werner, the parent coordinator, Angela Krause, and Rachel Rice, who helps in the classroom.
The Gold Circle of Quality recognizes programs which have demonstrated quality on all standards set forth by ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development programs.
To earn its status as a Gold Circle program, Northside met or exceeded specific quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality, and all administrative standards; group size and ratios; qualifications; and professional development.
On top of the Ladders Learning program, Northside houses two other preschool classes for each session. Northside is capable of serving up to 90 pre-kindergarten students between all three classrooms. Each of the three classrooms provide a loving and safe environment for our preschool students to be in.
As part of the learning experience offered to these children, the building opens its doors to other schools in the district. Geneseo Middle School and its FACS class visits Northside to work with students and one of its art classes painted the playground. Geneseo High School and its Grow Your Own teacher students also come to Northside as part of its program.
“I’m very proud of our Ladders to Learning team for the atmosphere they have worked hard to create,” said Principal Mowen. “The program shows great growth from day to day, and it’s fun for everyone in our building to be around and such a blessing for us.”
