Our History

TOPS Preschool has been providing early childhood education since the 2002-2003 school year. At that time, School District 69 administrators sought to fill a need in the community for a high-quality preschool program. We are a proud extension of the District 69 mission and values. Being housed in a primary school provides many advantages. Both District 69 and Madison School are highly supportive of the preschool program, have high hiring standards, hiring only certified early childhood educators as lead teachers, and provide a variety of professional development opportunities in which the teachers engage regularly. Curriculum standards are high as well, and our teachers are able to coordinate with the Madison kindergarten team to assure that our preschoolers will be ready for kindergarten when the time comes.

Our Facilities

TOPS classrooms are housed in the new section of the Madison Elementary School building, and contain state-of-the-art furniture and a myriad of high quality educational toys. Classrooms are clean, safe, and organized into themed centers (sensory table, writing center, art center, housekeeping and dramatic play, table toys, blocks, and reading rug) so that children can easily navigate their space. We have a fenced playground available to our little ones, so they can safely explore outdoors.

Our Students

At TOPS Pre-K, we are proud of our diverse community. Students come from a wide variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Children with special needs are seamlessly integrated into our classrooms with the support of our special education teacher, school social worker, and speech/language therapist. We believe that children of different cultures, ages, and abilities can all learn from each other and benefit from interacting with one another. Teachers maintain high expectations for all students, while accomodating instruction to each child's needs.

Our Preschool for All Grant

TOPS Pre-K is a recipient of the State of Illinois' Preschool for All grant. The Illinois State Board of Education is committed to supporting early childhood education to ensure that all Illinois children develop a strong foundation for learning. The Preschool for All program focuses on providing high-quality educational programs for children who are determined to be "at risk" due to a wide variety of factors. a few examples of these factors are: low-income families, families where English is not the primary language spoken in the home, and single parent/blended families. There are many other factors we look at to determine if your child is eligible for our program. Families must complete the preschool screening and hand in all enrollment paperwork before we can make that decision.

Our Mission Statement

TOPS Provides the building blocks necessary to nurture a young child's growth and development by:

• Celebrating Diversity
• Building relationships with family and community
• Providing a developmentally appropriate standards-based curriculum
• Individualizing Instruction
• Instilling a life long love of learning

Our Future

Each year of operation our school has grown, and we have earned a reputation for excellence. We have added services, such as a lending library, a full-time parent coordinator, family education workshops, and fun family events. We continue to support our students and families by connecting them with appropriate community resources. We have enriched our curriculum through the use of Creative Curriculum, Jolly Phonics, Hanwriting Without Tears, and the Second Step social skills program. At the end of each school year we evaluate our program and ask ourselves, "How can we make TOPS Pre-K better?"