Primary Program:
For More Information

The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland is an educational framework that is based on current information about how children grow and learn and builds on the best practices of the finest educators from across the country. The primary program was developed in 1993 by the Departments of Education in Nebraska and Iowa in partnership with local educators. It is an adaptation of the British Columbia primary program and is intended to assist local schools as they strive to provide the most effective learning environments possible for primary children. The document also supports the work of the classroom teacher in the integration of curriculum and evaluation of children's learning. It is not a stand alone program, but a process that can enhance the educational program at the early childhood level.

The primary program and other school programs are designed by adults but, in a real sense, the programs are created by children as they learn in classrooms, playgrounds, homes, and communities. This is as it should be, as children are enabled to become independent, confident learners who experience joy in learning throughout their schooling and the rest of their lives.

To learn more about The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland, please contact any of the following:

Iowa Area Education Agencies

Iowa Department of Education:

Division of Early Childhood, Elementary & Secondary Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
515-281-4747
515-281-7844
susan.andersen@ed.state.ia.us
donna.eggleston@ed.state.ia.us

Nebraska Department of Education:

Office of Child Development
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509–4987
402–471–3184
cdietz@nde4.nde.state.ne.us

The 600-page document, The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland, is available for purchase from the Nebraska Department of Education. Please call, write or download and fill out an Order Form to send in. (Nebraska state law requires prepayment.)