Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education

The Rose K. Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education has been providing high-quality education and care for almost fifty years. Housed on Dominican University’s Priory Campus, the center welcomes two to five-year-old children of Dominican students, faculty and staff, as well as children from neighboring communities. The center provides a safe, secure, play and learning environment that fosters healthy social, emotional, and intellectual growth. In keeping with Dominican University’s philosophy and practice, the Center’s mission comprises the following key elements:

• To provide high quality preschool in a safe, healthy, and stimulating social and intellectual environment.
• To provide high quality specialized educational programs for children.
• To support cultural diversity in the Center population through inclusive programming.
• To be responsive to the needs of the broader community of families with young children, through special activities, programs and site development.
• To provide University students opportunities to study child development and current early learning pedagogy. University students are given the opportunity to observe, interact in meaningful and supportive ways, as well as teach lessons. 

The Center is staffed by certified early childhood educators who are committed to preparing children in the Dominican tradition of educational excellence, ensuring a seamless transition to kindergarten. Children at the Center also benefit from classes supported by the University’s Early Childhood Education Department and related education degree programs, as well as students majoring in areas such as nutrition, psychology and Spanish.

Accreditation and Affiliations

The Goedert Center is:

• Licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services
• Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals
• Designated with the Gold Circle of Quality by ExceleRate Illinois, the state's quality rating and improvement system for early learning and development providers
• A member of the International Association of Laboratory Schools
• A member of the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers
• A member of the Collaboration for Early Childhood

The Rose K. Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education offers:

• A safe, diverse environment that fosters socialization
• A rich learning experience that enhances development through the exploration of science, social studies, and math concepts, stimulating creativity and critical thinking
• Year-round, all-day programs
• Nutritionally sound lunches and snacks
• A state-of-the-art facility with areas for studying the natural world and engaging in indoor and outdoor play

The Center offers several plans to meet your needs. Options include:

• Three days a week or five days a week
• Full day (five or more hours) or partial day (less than five hours)

A schedule of fees can be found on the link at the bottom of the page. 

The Goedert Center has a waitlist for fall enrollment. Please fill out the waitlist form and pay the $50 nonrefundable fee to be put on the waitlist. If you have any questions about our program, please call the school at (708) 714-9150. You may also email Sarah Thomas, director.

At this time, the center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Children must be registered for one of the established plans and must be able to start the program no later than 9:00 a.m. to ensure continuity.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, please take special note of the following:

• Goedert Center COVID-19 Policies
• Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic Action Plan (pdf)
• COVID-19 Newsletter (pdf)
• Map of Covid 19 testing sites
• Emergency Travel Order
• 2021–2022 Academic Calendar (pdf)
• 2022–2023 Academic Calendar (pdf)

For more information

Sarah Thomas, MSECE
Director

(708) 714-9150 office
(708) 714-9151 fax
preschool@dom.edu

Policies and Handbooks

• Illness Policy (pdf)
• Parent Handbook (pdf)
• DCFS Licensing Standards (pdf)

“Attending the Goedert Center has been a great experience for both of our kids. As parents, we know that our kids are safe, loved and prepared for elementary school, both academically and socially.”
–Nikki and Steve Mead