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Deer Park Teaching and Learning Center (DPTLC), “Little Warriors”, is dedicated to children and the fulfillment of their needs. By treating each child with love, respect, and understanding, the teachers will promote these qualities within the children. We offer an enriched environment that encourages the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development of our children. Our goal is to nurture in each child the development of a positive self-image, a curiosity for learning, a social orientation, basic problem-solving techniques, and a sense of fun and adventure.
Each child will be encouraged to enjoy learning with others through play. We believe that play is vital to a child's learning; it is the way each child organizes and makes sense of their world. Through play experiences children learn to build and maintain relationships; they learn to trust others, which enhances their emotional maturity. Our intimate center houses two classrooms with 16 children and two staff members in each class. Both morning classes, with mixed age groups of two- to five-year-olds, explore developmentally appropriate activities through weekly themes. The afternoon program divides the children by age, with the two- and three-year-old class continuing the morning themes; the four- and five-year-old class encourages the development of kindergarten readiness skills in a play-based environment.
Located inside Deerfield High School, DPTLC takes great advantage of being immersed in a community of learning. We provide a lab school experience for our Child Development students, fondly referred to as our “high school friends.” The high school students enrolled in Child Development present theme-related activities that focus on pre-math, pre-science, pre-reading, social, large, and small motor skills under the supervision of the Child Development teacher and DPTLC staff.
For more information about Deer Park Teaching and Learning Center (DPTLC), please contact Ms. Kimberly Schmidt, Director, at kschmidt@dist113.org or 224-632-3380.
