Reducing Teacher Prep Time while Strengthening Developmental Outcomes

The Challenge

Delivering High-Quality, Research-Based Learning,  Without Adding to Teacher Workload

For early childhood leaders, providing a research-based curriculum is a clear priority. Families expect it. Accreditation bodies require it. And most importantly, children deserve it.

At Barton Creek Child Development Center, Inc. a family-founded school established 24 years ago — quality has always been a priority. Early preschool Director Gaby Wheatley brings both professional leadership and a deep personal connection to her role. Once a student at the center herself, she now helps lead the school her mom, Elizabeth, founded and built. 

With approximately 150 students across three buildings and a deeply tenured leadership team, including staff members who have been with the school for nearly two decades, the center has built its reputation on consistency, care, and community trust.

At the same time, like any growing program, they continue to welcome new educators into the team, and creating a consistent experience for children across classrooms has always mattered. Having the right tools in place helps ensure that even newer educators feel confident and supported in delivering the same high-quality, engaging curriculum experiences families have come to expect.

But like many centers, they faced a common operational challenge: how to deliver consistent, meaningful and developmentally aligned learning experiences without increasing teacher prep time or administrative burden.

Prior to Lillio Learning, educators were responsible for sourcing, organizing, and preparing materials for classroom activities on their own. As a result, the quality and consistency of learning experiences often depended on the time, resources, and supplies available to each educator. Without ready-to-use materials or a shared framework, it was challenging to deliver a consistent experience across every classroom and ensure all children had access to the same high-quality learning opportunities.

At the same time, they were seeing another opportunity to strengthen the family experience. Prospective families touring the center were asking thoughtful questions about curriculum and child development, and they wanted parents to have a clearer understanding of the research-based foundation behind their child’s daily experiences. 

Elizabeth was looking for a way to make learning more visible, while providing reassurance that classroom activities were intentional, meaningful, and aligned with children’s developmental needs.

The Solution

A Curriculum Designed for Real Classrooms

The center implemented Lillio Learning’s physical curriculum kits – monthly themed activity boxes that include printed lesson plans, prepared materials, and activity supplies organized for each specific experience.

For Gaby and her team, the physical format was key.

“Having everything organized in one box for that exact activity makes it so much easier for teachers,” she shared. “Every child has what they need, and teachers can spend their time engaging instead of gathering materials.”

Each activity includes a clear explanation sheet, making it easy for educators to bring it to life in a way that fits naturally into their day. While circle time and art are just part of a much richer daily rhythm, having these materials thoughtfully prepared ahead of time ensures educators aren’t spending unnecessary time on logistics. Instead, they can stay present, responsive, and focused on supporting children’s learning throughout the entire day.

Instead of organizing supplies and making trips to the store, teachers can focus on:

• Supporting children’s social-emotional development
• Maintaining safety and supervision
• Meeting minimum standards and licensing requirements
• Engaging meaningfully with children during free play and outdoor exploration

Plus, the added benefit of greater predictability around costs. With materials thoughtfully planned and provided, the center no longer needs to purchase new activity and art supplies week-to-week based on individual classroom requests. This not only reduces administrative strain but also makes budgeting more consistent and manageable.

The curriculum also provides a strong foundation for classroom learning while leaving room for educator creativity and child-led exploration. Weekly themes and core activities offer direction and developmental alignment, while teachers continue to have the flexibility to extend learning organically throughout the day.

“It gives us what we need for circle time, art and core learning experiences,” Gaby shared, “and then we’re free to build on that and follow the children’s interests throughout the day.”

The children respond enthusiastically to the themed weeks (ocean themes being a particular favorite!) and teachers often align activities like show-and-tell with those themes to deepen engagement.

The Result

Time Saved. Standards Met. Children Thriving.

Since implementing Lillio Learning, the center has seen meaningful impact in three core areas:

1. Reduced Prep Time

With materials included and organized for each activity, teachers no longer need to source art supplies or assemble lesson components independently. This significantly reduces prep time and mental load.

For a leadership team balancing operations across three buildings, that kind of efficiency matters and has ripple effects across the entire program. When educators feel supported with clear structure, ready-to-use materials, and realistic expectations around prep time, it strengthens job satisfaction and long-term sustainability. Instead of feeling stretched by behind-the-scenes logistics, teachers can focus on the parts of the role that drew them to the profession in the first place.

It also means directors aren’t pulled into managing curriculum logistics. Instead of troubleshooting supply gaps, they can focus on staff support, family engagement, compliance, and overall program quality.

2. Strong Developmental Alignment

The curriculum supports multiple developmental domains, including:

• Fine motor skills through structured art activities
• Early literacy through books and printables
• Cognitive skills through matching games and thematic learning
• Social-emotional development through group discussions and shared experiences

The themes, books, and activities align closely with the domains evaluated through their accreditation standards, strengthening their commitment to quality as a Texas Rising Star–certified center.

Beyond state-level standards, the curriculum is also designed with broader alignment in mind, reflecting widely recognized early learning frameworks across North America. This added layer of alignment provides leadership with confidence that their programming not only supports local accreditation requirements, but also meets a high bar for quality and developmental best practices more broadly.

Families, particularly new and touring parents, feel reassured knowing that activities are age-appropriate and designed to support developmental milestones.

“It gives parents comfort to know we’re using something research-based and intentional,” Gaby shared. 

3. Greater Confidence in Quality

Perhaps most importantly, Lillio Learning reinforces what the center has always prioritized: high-quality early learning delivered in a warm, community-centered environment.

With long-term staff – including a preschool director of 20 years and an assistant director of 18 years –  the center values tools that support consistency without overcomplicating implementation.

Lillio Learning curriculum enhances their existing strengths. It does not replace teacher expertise. It supports it.

By combining organized materials, research-based structure, and flexibility for child-led exploration, Lillio Learning allows the team to deliver meaningful learning experiences without adding strain to educators’ already full days.

For Gaby and her team, the value is clear:

It saves time.
It supports development.
It strengthens parent trust.

And it allows educators to focus on what matters most, the children in front of them.