Our Curriculum
A Journey of Exploration, Experiences & Engaging Opportunities - From Infancy through Preschool
At ImagiNation Learning Center, curriculum is more than a set of lessons—it’s an intentional, research based roadmap guiding every interaction, activity, and classroom environment. Rooted in the Virginia Early Learning & Development Standards (ELDS) and enriched by ILC’s practices over more than three decades, our approach balances child led discovery with teacher guided instruction. This means we ensure learning that feels joyful, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate for each age and stage.
Why Choosing Right Matters
ILC utilizes the STREAMin3 early childhood curriculum developed at UVA and funded by the Virginia Department of Education.
This is a comprehensive early childhood curriculum designed for children from birth through five years of age. This program balances academic readiness with a strong emphasis on social-emotional growth.
The Six STREAM Skills Are:
Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math
The Five Core Competencies in each area are:
- Relate (self-awareness and interpersonal)
- Regulate (emotions and behaviors)
- Think (applied critical thinking)
- Communicate (language and expressive)
- Move (self-care and motor skills)
The STREAMin3 curriculum is built around interactive routines that use weekly lesson plans while remaining flexible to the teachable moments of a child’s natural curiosity. It emphasizes intentional teaching practices (why and how our teachers engage with children). In STREAMin3, structured activity is only as important as spontaneous learning.
The Compass Curriculum, developed by the educators and leadership team of ILC through tried and true programming over three decades, is primarily used during the summer. Similar to the STREAMin3 Curriculum, it is a STEAM-inspired early childhood learning framework designed for infants though preschoolers.
The Compass Curriculum emphasizes integrated learning with a strong focus on language and early literacy.
All of this is rooted in joyful, developmentally appropriate experiences.
The COMPASS CURRICULUM works because:
- It provides age-appropriate engagement across key developmental areas
- There is a seamless integration of STEAM concepts and language/literacy foundations
- It is applied in a supportive environment, balancing joy, curiosity, and school readiness.
The ASQ-3 (Ages & Stages Questionnaires) is a simple developmental screening tool that looks at children’s growth in areas like communication, movement, problem-solving, and social skills. It helps families and teachers work together to support each child’s strengths and needs. At ILC, the ASQ-3 is shared between parents and teachers twice annually (more often if needed).
From Milestones to Magic Moments
The ASQ-3 assessment tool connects to the STREAMin3 (and Compass Curriculum) in a meaningful practical way. It not only serves as a developmental tool to help educators and families understand where each child is in their growth; it also helps determine the best way to implement learning activities for each child.
ASQ Domain
- Communication
- Gross Motor
- Fine Motor
- Problem Solving
- Personal-Social
STREAMin3 Core Skills
- Communicate
- Move
- Think, Move
- Think
- Relate, Regulate
ASQ Domain
- Communication
- Gross Motor
- Fine Motor
- Problem Solving
- Personal-Social
STREAMin3 Core Skills
- Communicate
- Move
- Think, Move
- Think
- Relate, Regulate
At ILC, the ASQ-3 is provided to parents twice annually to complete.
Once completed families and teachers collaborate to review your child’s development, identify potential concerns, develop a plan to enhance learning and guide referrals for further evaluation, if needed.
