Data Drives Success of Customized Path to Kindergarten Readiness

With kindergarten on the horizon, La Petite Academy is giving parents the confidence of knowing that when the time comes, their little one will be ready for the big leagues.

La Petite Academy provides a customized learning experience for each child as a foundation for future academic success. Parents can be assured their child’s learning goals are being met, thanks to an exclusive data-driven process that links individualized observation with assessment and lesson planning.

“Our schools are uniquely equipped to respond to each child’s specific developmental needs, beginning in infancy,” notes Dr. Susan Canizares, Chief Academic Officer at La Petite Academy. “We know that children develop at their own pace and learn in different ways. No two children are the same, and therefore, no two lesson plans in our classes are the same.”

This personalized approach to curricular planning led to 370 percent growth in school readiness among 4-year-olds, according to research conducted during the 2014-2015 school year at La Petite Academy and its sister schools within Learning Care Group.

Measuring Progress Ensures Every Child is Prepared    

At La Petite Academy, Preschool and Pre-K programs and curriculum are supported with Learning Care System (LCS), the company’s proprietary digital lesson planning tool. Using LCS, teachers continually evaluate every child’s growth and select learning activities to promote progress in 88 critical school-readiness capabilities in 10 key developmental domains:

This exclusive process was designed in partnership with Assessment Technology, Inc. – a leading provider of valid and reliable assessment, curriculum and reporting services, with more than 500 clients nationwide. Leveraging data on each child’s progress, LCS enables teachers to select developmentally appropriate lesson plans from a comprehensive bank of more than 6,000 learning activities.

The data-driven approach is delivering eye-opening results. A study of 3,073 4-year-olds across 310 La Petite Academy locations and other Learning Care Group sister schools showed significant growth from fall 2014 to spring 2015 – from 14 to 66 percent – in the number of children who were at an advanced level for mastering school readiness skills. The research also showed gains of 169 percent in related language skills during the same school year, along with a three-fold increase specifically in related literacy and early math skills.

Education experts at La Petite Academy note that every day provides opportunities for spontaneous teachable moments, backed by the assurance of learning that comes from intentionally planning for goals and expectations.  The combination is how La Petite Academy makes the most of learning as an art – and a science.

“Since we’re able to track and plan experiences to support each child’s development, we can keep parents updated on how their child is growing, taking steps to ensure that progress continues,” said Canizares. “We’re excited not only to demonstrate that our children are meeting developmental objectives, but to have the scientific data to authenticate that.”