Early Childhood Learning

Community Consolidated School District 21 has been awarded the Preschool for All Grant. The school district directly provides pre-kindergarten programming to district students through the grant. Therefore, the district has opened additional classrooms in three of our elementary schools – in addition to the classrooms at Hawthorne Early Childhood School. The opening of the classrooms in the elementary schools allows for more students to attend pre-kindergarten programming in schools closer to their homes.

The CCSD21 pre-kindergarten program services students ages 3-5 years old. Our program is a half day program 5 days a week. Students may attend either one of the classrooms at Hawthorne or one of the classrooms across our elementary schools (Frost, Tarkington, or Whitman). Students must be screened to determine if their child is eligible for our program. Eligibility is determined by the child’s developmental levels and environmental factors.

MISSION

The CCSD21 pre-kindergarten program recognizes the individual strengths of each child and encourages each child’s growth. We support the development of the whole child in a natural context by providing opportunities for learning which facilitate the child’s cognitive, social-emotional, communicative, and motor development. It is also our belief that parental involvement is critical to the child’s development.

VISION

BELIEF STATEMENTS

ILLINOIS EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS

The pre-kindergarten classrooms follow the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS).

CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT IN THE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM

The prekindergarten program utilizes the HighScope Curriculum. The HighScope Preschool Curriculum is based on the principles of active learning and support of a child’s positive interactions with adults and peers. The curriculum is a comprehensive model that addresses all areas of development through eight content areas, Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies, Social Emotional Learning, and 58 key developmental indicators (KDIs) — the skills and behaviors at each stage of development that pave the way for school and adult success. Each KDI is connected to and reinforced by scaffolding strategies to support and gently extend children’s learning.

Students are assessed using the Child Observation Record (COR Advantage) which assess the 8 areas and 58 key developmental indicators. Teachers collect anecdotal records daily to assess student progress and inform their instruction. Additionally, portfolios of student work are created.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN SCREENING

The CCSD21 pre-kindergarten program services eligible children ages 3 to 5 years old. CCSD21 screens the child to identify if the child is eligible to participate in the program.*

Pre-kindergarten screening assesses the following developmental areas: