Early Childhood - District 45

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Board of Education Meeting

Jun 5

Juneteenth

Jun 19

Board of Education Meeting

Jun 20

Board of Education Meeting

Jul 17

Teacher Institute - No School

Aug 14

First Day of School

Aug 16

Board of Education Meeting

Aug 21

Early Dismissal

Aug 30

Labor Day - No School

Sep 4

Board of Education Meeting

Sep 5

Board of Education Meeting

Sep 18

Early Dismissal

Sep 20

The Early Childhood Program teaches the District’s youngest students the foundational skills necessary to be successful learners throughout their academic careers.

Return to Curriculum & Instruction Home Page

Visit the D45 Early Childhood Center website

D45 is happy to announce that a new Early Childhood Center will be opening for the 2022-23 school year.

Located just north of Jackson Middle School, at 251 W. Jackson Street, Villa Park, the new Early Childhood Center is the new home for our early childhood programming.

The Early Childhood Center was a major part of the $30 million referendum registered voters in the D45 community overwhelmingly passed in March of 2020.

Learn More

Our program is committed to ensuring high levels of learning for all its students.

Eligibility

Our Preschool Program provides a continuum of services for students with special needs, and also provides preschool programming for children considered to be at-risk for learning due to financial or environmental factors present in their lives.

All of our classroom teachers are certified in early childhood, special education, and have their English Language Learner certification. The program is also supported by a principal, school psychologist, social workers, parent coordinator, speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist.

Screenings (Child Find)

Preschool Screenings (Child Find)

Preschool screenings for children ages three to five years old are conducted throughout the school year. During the school year, please fill out the screening form to begin the screening process.
Screening Form English | Screening Form Spanish
A staff member will mail a screening packet to your home. You will be contacted to schedule a time to drop off your screening packet along with proof of address and birth certificate on the next available drop off date. At that time, your screening packet will be reviewed and you will complete a brief parent interview.

Birth through Three-Years Old

We also conduct birth through three-year-old screenings for children whose parents have concerns regarding their development in order to refer to Early Intervention services with Child and Family Connections. Please call Brenda Rivera at (630) 516-7563 if you have concerns about your child and want to be referred to Early Intervention. If you have a concern about your child and do NOT want to be referred to Early Intervention, we will screen your child after their third birthday. Please complete the screening request form after your child has turned three years of age. Early Childhood preschool services begin at age three years.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM

District 45 utilizes The Creative Curriculum for Preschool (5th Edition) in our Early Childhood program. This curriculum focuses on the following areas of child development: physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and language. Guidelines and standards have been developed indicating the content children should be exposed to by certain age levels.

The Creative Curriculum guides teachers in how to teach content from the following areas in ways that respect the development of preschool-age students.

Literacy – vocabulary and language, phonological awareness, letters, words, print, comprehension, books, and other texts

Mathematics – numbers, patterns and relationships, geometry and spatial awareness, measurement, and data collection, organization, and representation

Science – the physical properties of objects, living things, and the earth and the environment

Social Studies – how people live, work, get along with others, shape, and are shaped by their surroundings

The Arts – dance, music, dramatic play, drawing, and painting

Technology – tools and their basic operations and uses

Process Skills – observing and exploring; problem solving; and connecting, organizing, communicating, and representing information