Downers Grove Christian School is an educational institution which serves children from Pre-K through to the 8th grade. The school provides all-day and half-day kindergarten classes, as well as before and after-school care, and the small class sizes are designed to allow the certified teaching staff to provide specialized instruction for each student. In addition to the standard curriculum, which includes art, music and computer classes, Downers Grove Christian School provides a "distinctly Christian education" for its students, incorporating the holy scriptures into each class.
Housed in the historic Lincoln Center, the Downers Grove Park District's Lincoln Learning Center offers a developmentally appropriate and nurturing pre-school experience for 3- through 5-year-olds. The pre-school adheres to the Illinois Early Learning Standards set by the Illinois State Board of Education. Students learn in small classes led by professionally qualified teachers. The facility includes bright classrooms, a gym and playground. Field trips, safety programs and nature education are part of the curriculum. Students must be toilet trained prior to entering preschool.
Established in 1984 by the Downers Grove Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Adventist School offers a Christian- based curriculum and Bible instruction for children in preschool through eighth grade. The school is directed by Principal Patricia Williams and is adjacent to the church building.
St. Joseph School, founded in 1910, is run by St. Joseph Catholic Church. It serves the communities of Darien, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Chicago and Downers Grove. Courses include Spanish, art, music, computers and library. Rita Stasi is the principal. In 2010 it added a preschool.
The Lincoln Center houses the Park District preschool, the active adult (senior) center, a gym, an auditorium, classrooms and a modern kitchen. Various classes are held in Lincoln Center including dance, ceramics, music and tot classes. Rentals are available.
Within easy walking distance of such preschooler favorites as the park, the library, the train station and the fire station, Immanuel Lutheran Preschool nurtures its students' minds and spirits. The preschool emphasizes a Christian, family atmosphere, believing education is a partnership between the school and the parents who are their child's primary teachers. Toward that end, the school involves a parent volunteer as a classroom helper every schoolday. Special activites include Family Night, Harvest Day, Dad's Night Out and the Christmas Program. Each year's "graduating" class receives oversized T-shirts emblazoned with the year they will graduate from high school.
The First United Methodist Preschool, located in the First United Methodist Church, focuses on providing three- and four-year-old children with developing a positive attitude toward learning and building socialization skills within a Christian environment. This preschool has been around since the '80s and meets three times a week, with both morning and afternoon sessions.
Pathway Montessori is an education-based preschool and kindergarten located on Maple Avenue in Downers Grove since 2006. Using the Montessori method of teaching, children from ages three to six are guided through an individualized learning process according to their specific developmental needs. The school is situated on nearly an acre of wooded land in a home-like setting and features a large classroom with an array of creative learning materials specific to Montessori. There also is an outdoor vegetable garden planted and maintained by the children.