Academic Curriculum

The Pillars Academic Curricula

At The Pillars, we believe utilizing the right curriculum for our program is of the utmost importance. Our schools use both The Creative Curriculum and Lillio Learning (powered by Funshine Express) curriculum in our classrooms.

The Creative Curriculum®

The Pillars utilizes The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool, and award-winning curriculum which nurtures the whole child in all areas of development: social-emotional, physical, language and cognitive. 

The Creative Curriculum® is a comprehensive, research-based early childhood education framework for children from infancy through pre-kindergarten. Emphasizing a play-based, child-centered approach, it promotes exploration and discovery as learning methods. Key components include developmentally appropriate practices tailored to different stages, a rich and stimulating learning environment, and coverage of essential developmental domains such as social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive skills. The curriculum balances teacher-guided and child-initiated learning, fosters strong family engagement, and integrates continuous assessment to plan individualized instruction, ensuring each child’s unique needs and potential are addressed. 

Teaching Strategies GOLD® Assessments

Assessments are crucial tools in ensuring students stay on track with their learning. They provide valuable insights into students’ understanding and mastery of the material, highlighting areas where they excel and identifying topics that may require additional support. Regular assessments help educators tailor instruction to meet each student’s needs, ensuring that no one falls behind. They also enable teachers to monitor progress over time, adjust teaching strategies, and provide targeted interventions when necessary. For students, assessments can foster self-awareness and motivation, as they receive feedback on their performance and can set goals for improvement. Overall, assessments create a structured framework for continuous learning and development, keeping students aligned with their educational goals.

GOLD® Assessment is an observation-based, ongoing assessment system designed to track the development and learning of children from birth through kindergarten. It assesses multiple developmental areas, including social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and mathematics, through regular observational data gathered during classroom activities. The system is structured around research-based developmental progressions, enabling teachers to identify where each child is on their developmental path and plan individualized instruction. Continuous assessment, with daily and weekly tracking, ensures real-time insights, early identification of needs, responsive teaching, and family involvement, capturing the whole child’s development and fostering a high-quality, individualized learning experience. 

Lillio Learning (Powered by Funshine Express)

Children learn best through active engagement, and Funshine Express curriculum offers children the opportunity to learn by doing. Funshine Express offers a wide range of hands-on activities designed to build early literacy, math, science, social skills, and more. The curriculum support each child’s social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development, stimulating thinking, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

Through the use of Funshine Express’s flexible lesson plans, our teachers are able to administer activities to meet the unique needs of each of the children in their classroom.

Community Leaders Discuss The Pillars Unique Model

Please take a moment to review this powerful testimony by Catherine Leach, an elementary school Principal and Pillars parent, regarding the efficacy of The Pillars academic and spiritual development programming and how our unique model helps prepare students for academic success and spiritual growth in Kindergarten and beyond. 

Catherine Leach

Elementary School Principal and Pillars Parent