ECC Early Childhood Lab School receives ExceleRate Illinois designation

Elgin Community College's Early Childhood Lab School received the Silver Circle of Quality designation from ExceleRate Illinois, the state's new quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development providers.

"Every early learning and development provider who participates in ExceleRate Illinois makes quality a priority," said Gail Nelson, QRIS policy director for the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. "The higher the designation, the higher the program's demonstrated quality and comprehensiveness in meeting children's early learning needs," she said.

"We are proud to receive the Silver Circle of Quality," said Lisa Johnson, director the ECC's Early Childhood Lab School. "Providing quality in early learning and development will help our children in Elgin be better prepared for success in school and in life."

ExceleRate Illinois helps families make more informed choices about their children's early learning. It establishes standards to help infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally.

Additionally, it provides a framework for early learning and development professionals to identify opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Research in science and brain development shows that children who are more meaningfully engaged in early learning experiences from infancy through the first five years of life are more likely to be successful in school and in life. With the right engagement, children can form a healthy foundation of neural pathways in the brain, which impact their ability to think, react, process and grow.

ExceleRate Illinois is a comprehensive system that includes licensed child care centers, licensed family child care, preschool for all and center-based prevention initiative programs, head start, and early head start programs. It is administered through the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies under the joint direction of the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois State Board of Education.

For more information, visit www.ExceleRateIllinois.com. For more information about ECC's Early Childhood Lab School, visit www.elgin.edu/childcare.