The Thompson Method is a holistic early childhood curriculum covering child development from 3 months through pre-kindergarten across five age groups and seven subject areas. It is built around the idea that every stakeholder in a child's life — the child, the teacher, the director, the school owner, the family, and the wider community — deserves to feel valued and supported. It gives teachers a clear plan to follow, gives directors a framework to lead with confidence, and gives families a way to understand exactly what their child is learning and why.

The Thompson Method is designed for private preschool directors, educational directors, early childhood teachers, and corporate childcare programs that want a research-grounded, practical curriculum. It also works well for licensed home childcare providers, homeschool families, and parent groups who want a structured, developmentally appropriate framework for young children. It scales from a single classroom to a multi-site program.

The Thompson Method covers five age groups: 3 to 16 months, 17 to 29 months, 2.5 to 3 years, 3-year-olds, and pre-kindergarten. Each age group is designed around the specific milestones children reach at that stage, so your program has an appropriate, sequenced plan for every child from the infant room through pre-K. Kindergarten resources are coming soon.

The curriculum covers seven core areas: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, and Music. These areas are sequenced across all five age groups so children build on foundational skills as they grow. In the infant and toddler levels, each core area is adapted to meet the unique developmental needs of very young children.

No. The Thompson Method is designed to work for every teacher on your team, whether they hold a university degree or not. The Scope and Sequence is written in plain, practical language that any teacher can follow, understand, and use to have confident conversations with families. For teachers who want to grow professionally, Thompson Method training and in-person workshops can provide the structured support and language to deepen their practice.

Yes. The Thompson Method is rooted in the understanding that children learn through doing, exploring, and interacting with the world around them. The curriculum gives play a purpose by connecting the natural things children already do — singing, building, pretend play — to the developmental milestones they are working toward. It bridges play-based learning and academic readiness so families can see that both are happening at the same time.

Yes. The Thompson Method has been used by private preschool programs and faith-based schools across Texas, including schools focused on NAEYC accreditation. Consulting services are also available specifically to support programs pursuing NAEYC self-study.

Yes. The Thompson Method is a strong fit for corporate childcare programs that want expert guidance and a curriculum that serves children, supports families, and makes the work of running a program more manageable. Jerri works directly with corporate programs to make sure the rollout is done right. With five age groups covering 3 months through pre-kindergarten, it provides a consistent framework across every classroom and every site.

The Scope and Sequence is the core document of the Thompson Method. It maps out what children should be learning across each subject area at each developmental level, and it is designed to be used two ways: as a planning and teaching guide for your classroom staff, and as a parent-facing communication piece you can share at enrollment or in family conferences. It takes the guesswork out of curriculum planning and gives your whole team a shared language.

You can purchase individual levels, a bundle of any three levels, or the full series from 3 months through kindergarten. Many programs start with the age levels most relevant to their enrollment and add more over time. The full series is the most cost-effective option for programs that serve a wide age range.

The Observation-Based Assessment Tools use informal criterion-referenced and curriculum-based assessments to measure each child's mastery of specific developmental skills. They are grounded in Gesell's benchmarks and the CDC and AAP standardized developmental milestones. Three different approaches are used across the school year: a beginning-of-year narrative, a mid-year rating scale, and an end-of-year checklist. For teachers, this supports individualized care. For directors, it creates clear program-wide data. For families, it answers the question parents ask most: is my child on track?

Yes, and that is one of the things that makes the Thompson Method different. Most early childhood curricula are designed only for the classroom. The Thompson Method Scope and Sequence is intentionally written so it can be handed directly to a parent at enrollment or during a family conference. It gives families a clear picture of what their child will be working toward, which builds trust and reduces the anxiety that comes from not knowing.

The Creative Activities Companion is a supplemental resource that ties hands-on activities directly to the Scope and Sequence goals. It gives teachers ready-to-use activity ideas that reinforce the developmental milestones they are working on, so planning time goes down and classroom quality goes up.

Programs like Creative Curriculum and Frog Street are built for one purpose: equipping the teacher inside the classroom. What they don't give a director is a document they can hand to a parent. There is nothing in those kits designed to answer the question families ask at enrollment. The Thompson Method is built on three principles: respect for the individual child, respect for a teacher's creativity, and support for directors and school owners. Boxed curricula can put all children in the same box and limit what teachers bring to the classroom. The Thompson Method gives teachers a clear framework to follow while leaving room for their own skills and knowledge. It gives directors the Scope and Sequence as a parent-facing document they can present at tours and enrollment meetings, by age group, to show families exactly how the program will prepare their child.

Yes. The Thompson Method draws on a range of established professional resources, including state Early Learning Standards, standardized developmental milestones from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Arnold Gesell's foundational benchmarks, and academic texts including Math and Science for Young Children and Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts. Jerri Thompson holds an M.Ed in Early Childhood Education and built the curriculum through more than four decades of applied classroom and administrative experience, grounding it in theory that actually works in a real program.

The Thompson Method was created by Jerri Thompson, an educator who spent half her professional life as a classroom teacher specializing in infants and toddlers, and the other half as an administrator in medium and large sized early childhood programs. Jerri holds an M.Ed in Early Childhood Education and is a Master Registered Trainer through the Texas Early Childhood Development System (Trainer #1413), approved to train in all domain areas: Practitioners, Administrators, and Trainers.

Yes. Consulting services through Thompson Method include NAEYC self-study support and assistance with state quality rating systems. Jerri Thompson works directly with directors to align program practices and curriculum documentation with NAEYC standards, which can strengthen an accreditation application and improve overall program quality.

Yes. Kindergarten readiness is central to how the Thompson Method is structured. The curriculum builds pre-academic skills in each child across seven subject areas, culminating in kindergarten readiness. Thompson Method works by building that foundation progressively across all five age groups, from 3 months through pre-kindergarten, so every child in your program arrives at school ready. Kindergarten resources are currently in development and coming soon.

The Scope and Sequence is available individually by age level, in any bundle of three levels, or as the full series covering 3 months through kindergarten. Each purchase includes unlimited copy rights per school.

The Thompson Method Scope and Sequence, Observation-Based Assessments, and Creative Activities Companion are all digital products, so your team can begin using them immediately after purchase. There is no setup process or software required. Download, print or share digitally, and start planning.

Yes. Jerri Thompson offers in-person workshops and professional development sessions at your school or center. She works directly with your teaching team to walk through the curriculum, build confidence in how to use the Scope and Sequence, coach teachers on developmental language and parent communication, and answer the real questions that come up on the floor. Workshop pricing is tailored to each program's needs. Reach out through the contact form to start the conversation.

Thompson Method offers in-person workshops at your school, professional development courses, director mentoring, NAEYC self-study support, teacher coaching, and consulting on topics including building a high quality early childhood program, developing a healthy parent community, and governance and budgeting. All training is led by Jerri Thompson, Master Registered Trainer #1413, approved to train in all core knowledge areas for Practitioners, Administrators, and Trainers.

Yes. Whether you are managing two locations or twenty, the Thompson Method is built to support the whole picture: the curriculum, the families, and the people running the program. Jerri works directly with multi-site directors and corporate program managers to make sure implementation is done right. Consulting packages can be structured around your specific needs. The best starting point is a conversation about your program.

You can reach Jerri directly through the contact form on thompsonmethod.co. Whether you are evaluating the curriculum for the first time, looking for in-person workshop options, or interested in consulting support, the best first step is a quick conversation about your program.