ExceleRate Illinois Determines Every Child Ready Alignment to Early Learning Guidelines and Standards for Children Birth to Kindergarten

SPRINGFIELD, July 2026 — Every Child Ready, a bilingual, comprehensive PreK program offered by Collaborative Classroom, has been reviewed by ExceleRate^® Illinois, a quality recognition and improvement system providing standards, guidelines, resources, and support for early learning and development in Illinois. Using a Curriculum Crosswalk process, this body has determined Every Child Ready to be aligned to the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age Three (IELG) and the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards for Preschool (Three Years Old to Kindergarten Enrollment Age) (IELDS). 

“We’re gratified to see the determination from ExceleRate Illinois,” said Kelly Stuart, CEO and President of Collaborative Classroom. “This formal recognition of alignment means that Illinois educators of children from birth to kindergarten enrollment age can rely on Every Child Ready to provide their PreK students a solid foundation for kindergarten and beyond.”

Every Child Ready is a proven-effective early childhood resource, with studies showing 89 percent of children in Every Child Ready classrooms are kindergarten-ready—nearly double the national average. The Every Child Ready curriculum is suitable for both center-based and family childcare settings.

“This news is a win for districts across Illinois,” said Kristy Rauch, Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships for Illinois. “Every Child Ready is a bilingual program that incorporates all facets of early learning, making the job of an early childhood educator much easier. Teachers can focus on building quality relationships in the classroom knowing that they are implementing an evidence-based curriculum that will ensure kindergarten readiness for their students.”

About the Every Child Ready Curriculum

Every Child Ready is a comprehensive curriculum for preschool and PreK classrooms that blends purposeful play, individualized instruction, embedded professional learning, and family engagement. Available in English and Spanish and designed to be flexible and customizable, Every Child Ready gives educators everything they need to launch, teach, and measure success—so every child enters kindergarten prepared to thrive.

A proven early childhood solution, Every Child Ready dramatically improves early learning outcomes for children, benefits educator practice, and enhances the classroom learning environment: 

• In classrooms implementing Every Child Ready, 89 percent of children are kindergarten-ready—nearly double the national average (47 percent). 
• Ninety percent of educators felt more confident in their practice after completing Every Child Ready curriculum training.
• Every Child Ready educators demonstrate significantly higher performance in the CLASS Instructional Support domain compared to educators in non-ECR classrooms.

About Collaborative Classroom

Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. 

As one of the few nonprofit organizations in the country that develop, disseminate, and implement curriculum at scale, Collaborative Classroom is dedicated to putting students, educators, and research at the center of every decision and providing personalized, cutting-edge implementation support for the schools and students it serves.

The organization’s evidence-based programs and innovative professional learning are used by educators in all 50 states in more than a thousand school districts. Collaborative Classroom’s portfolio of solutions spans preschool and prekindergarten through grade 8, with some curricula extending through grades 9–12. 

Since the organization’s founding, Collaborative Classroom’s work has reached more than 10 million students and 440,000 educators across the country, developing fluent readers and skilled writers, supporting instructional equity, transforming discipline practices, and bolstering student and teacher engagement. 

Learn more about Collaborative Classroom at collaborativeclassroom.org.