OAK PARK & RIVER FOREST DAY NURSERY
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Mission Statement
The Day Nursery provides exceptional early childhood education in an environment that welcomes all children, enhances individual strengths, and fosters the academic, social-emotional and physical development that leads to school readiness.
About This Cause
More than a century ago, a visionary group of Oak Park philanthropic women realized the importance of quality early childcare and education for all children, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status. They observed that many immigrant families settling in the community were dual-earner families. The children of these families needed care and education to thrive. To serve this need, these women founded The Day Nursery (TDN) in 1912. Over the last 110 years, The Day Nursery has persevered through two world wars, the Depression, and the Great Recession, and now, two worldwide pandemics. Today, The Day Nursery continues to operate with the same passion, vision, and commitment of our founders by providing quality childhood education to children ages 2-6, regardless of ability to pay. Throughout the years, the services offered to children and parents have changed according to the community's needs. Our mission is to provide exceptional early childhood education in an environment that welcomes all children, enhances individual strengths, and fosters the academic, social-emotional, and physical development that leads to school readiness. The Day Nursery remains committed its mission and is a leader in early childhood care and education. Each year TDN serves about 110 children ages two to six and over 200 parents, guardians, and grandparents, many of whom come from low-income families. Approximately 78% of TDN families are low- to moderate-income; 21% are at or below the federal poverty level. About 70% of TDN children have one or more identified risk factors, including special needs such as Autism, that threaten their chance for success in school – and life – if not addressed. Low-income families are not the only ones struggling to provide their children with quality early childcare. Moderate-income families are ineligible for publicly funded programs, but struggle to afford the cost of quality childcare. They must often make choices that include sacrificing household necessities to prioritize childcare expenses; settling for low-quality childcare; patching together multiple childcare options; or leaving the workforce. According to Child Care Aware of America’s report, “The US and the High Cost of Child Care,” the average cost of childcare in Illinois is $13,474, more than 21% of Illinois’ median income. When children are “kindergarten ready,” they are far more likely to succeed in school. Students who have not made up developmental deficits by the third grade are at higher risk of dropping out of school, engaging in drug/alcohol abuse and/or criminal activity, and experience poorer health outcomes, teen pregnancies, and a much higher rate of welfare dependency. In FY19, 90% of TDN children transitioning to kindergarten met or exceeded all their goals for school success, according to evidence-based assessments. In stark contrast, the Illinois State School Board (ISBE) released a report last year that indicated that only 26% of children statewide were ready for kindergarten. With an ever-increasing need for both parents to work and the rise of single-parent homes, quality early childcare is essential to the well-being of our society. The diverse population at TDN, combined with its rich play-based curriculum and highly educated teachers, provides the environment that research has demonstrated helps reduce the achievement gap often experienced in middle school and high school, especially in low-income populations. The Day Nursery relies on a play-based curriculum inspired by the Creative Curriculum® and augmented with additional childhood education theories such as Lev Vgotsky (theory of scaffolding learning) and Reggio Emilia (use of child-directed studies for learning). The curriculum is aligned with Illinois Early Learning Standards and emphasizes learning through play, hands-on activities, and teacher supported activities. Children are exposed to literacy, dramatic play, music, math and science daily. Children also receive a minimum of one hour a day of large motor activity, plenty of fresh air on our playground, and a daily nap. Physical health plays an important role at TDN as that has been proven to be an effective tool for learning and is critical in establishing healthy patterns early in life. Over time, The Day Nursery has developed a Healthy Beginnings for Life Program. TDN ensures equity in its programming by not imposing an additional charge on families for any of the enrichment activities in the program, which allows all children regardless of socioeconomic status to benefit fully. The nutrition the children receive at TDN is superior to that at many other early childhood education centers. Nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and morning and afternoon snacks, prepared on site, emphasize whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. For those children from lower-income families, this is particularly significant since the meals and snacks served at TDN account for 2/3 of a child’s daily nutrition. Children eat family-style, which helps children learn social skills and how to regulate food choices at an early age. Beginning in late spring, children plant, grow and harvest their vegetables in an organic garden that are used in their meals. The benefits this garden provide are many as they learn about science, agriculture, sustainability, and nutrition. And they get the joy of eating what they have grown and harvested! All year long, children in each classroom engage in hydroponic gardening. In 2019, The National Child and Adult Care Food Program recognized The Day Nursery for its excellent nutrition program. TDN provided two sold-out hands-on field experiences as a successful Farm to School Program to conference attendees at National Child Nutrition Conference in Chicago, April 2019. The Day Nursery is one of the few early childhood centers that has a dedicated Parent Coordinator position focused on building relationships with and supporting parents. As a means of ensuring parental involvement and providing a connected community of support for families, TDN holds a Parent Night each month that covers topics that enable parents to promote development outside the classroom. Families are provided with supper, served family-style, and teachers provide childcare for those programs that are focused specifically on parent education. A Parent Advisory Council (PAC) allows parents to help drive the parent/family activities throughout the year and the topics addressed during Parent Night. The Parent Coordinator provides support and supervision of the PAC. TDN relies on several assessment strategies to track children’s education, health, and attainment of developmental milestones. Assessments are valuable for two reasons: 1.) they measure the impact TDN is having on its students and 2.) they allow staff and parents to track the development of children in various domains. If a child is falling behind developmentally, the appropriate interventions take place at an age when children are most responsive. Research has found that early interventions performed when indicated have a dramatic impact on a child’s success throughout school and into adulthood. Parental input is essential to Day Nursery success, especially in our goals to continue meeting needs within the community. Day Nursery staff are always open to speaking to parents one-on-one. The Parent Coordinator plays a crucial role in gathering parental input. Parents also have the PAC (Parent Advisory Council) as a means of communication. At the end of each school year, TDN asks all parents to complete an online survey. The program is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The Day Nursery is accredited by the National association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), of which only 8% of early childhood education programs nationwide satisfy NAEYC standards. In addition to its NAEYC accreditation, TDN has earned the Gold Circle of Quality by ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s highest designation for quality.