Playful Activities, Powerful Learning
CTD's parent-child Tadpole classes stimulate children’s creative thinking and problem-solving skills in math, science, and language arts. Most young children enjoy playing with their parents and other adults, especially when the children can take the lead and make their own decisions.
Why choose Tadpole Academy classes at CTD?
For young children who show a keen interest in learning, CTD’s Tadpole Academy offers fun guided learning experiences for parents and children to do together with the support of an expert educator.
Benefits Include:
- Engaging play activities challenge children to think with creativity and increasing complexity
- Instructors model guided play and conversations for parents to foster cognitive growth
- Teachers provide feedback and extensions to support guided, playful learning.
There are no test scores or further documentation required for participation in Tadpole Academy. Tadpole Academy is a member of our Amber Tier open enrollment option. Successful completion of the class does not qualify students to enroll in future classes outside of the Amber Tier.
Students must be three years old at the beginning of the program and have a parent or caregiver in attendance. We are not able to accelerate younger students into Tadpole Academy.
To enroll, complete the Tadpole application online through MyCTD.
Fees will be updated when in-person programming resumes.
Financial aid is not available for Tadpole courses. If you would like to inquire about a payment plan, please contact the CTD admissions team at ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu.
The Tadpole Academy environment brings curious three-year-olds together with their parents or caregivers for story-telling, dramatic play, block play, drawing, building and experimentation. Each lesson addresses its theme with an interdisciplinary mix of activities that brings new knowledge and stretches critical thinking skills. With lessons and materials curated for them, parents learn to follow their child’s lead to explore brand new ideas and connect them to their own experiences.
For questions regarding Tadpole Academy, please contact:
