Programs

Looking for an excellent place for your young child to learn, make friends, and have fun? Open up a world of wonder at D63's First Steps Community Preschool. First Steps offers children who live in District 63 a research-based, developmentally appropriate curriculum that enhances language, motor, and social skills, promotes independence, and prepares them for kindergarten. 

Highly qualified state-certified teachers provide a wide range of hands-on experiences and creative activities. Offered Monday-Friday during the school year, two-and-a-half-hour preschool sessions are available in the morning or afternoon.  

First Steps Preschool follows all state and federal guidelines applicable to the school district. Children may be accepted throughout the school year once they turn three years old (if spots are available), and must be toilet trained.

Tuition for the school year:

• $3,500/child
• $3,200/child if more than one child from a family is enrolled.
• $3,150/child if tuition is paid in full - in advance.
• $2,900/child if more than one child from a family is enrolled - and tuition is paid in full, in advance.

All must be submitted prior to enrollment. 

1. Complete the First Steps Preschool Application found HERE.  
2. Participate in the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) found HERE (Espanol, Arabic).
   • As part of the ASQ-3 questionnaire, you will be asked to answer questions about some things your child can and cannot do. This includes questions about your child's communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social skills. As part of the ASQ-SE-2, you will be asked to answer questions about some of your child's behaviors. The questionnaire includes questions about your child's ability to calm down, take direction and follow rules, communicate, perform daily activities (e.g., eating, sleeping), act independently, demonstrate feelings, and interact with others. You will need to choose the first option and complete BOTH the ASQ-3 and the ASQ:SE-2
3. Submit a $50 nonrefundable application fee (applied only to new children in the program).
4. Proof of residency (enrollment limited to District 63 residents) must be emailed to firststeps@emsd63.org. When emailing the documents, please put your child's name in the subject line.
5. A copy of your child's birth certificate must be emailed to firststeps@emsd63.org. 

Funded through a grant provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Preschool for All supports District 63 children “at-risk” for school difficulties. The goal is to provide early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive education, as well as family support services, to help prepare the children for later school success. 

Here’s what you need to know:

• There is no cost to attend if your child qualifies.
• Students attend Monday-Friday for two and a half hours -- either in the morning or the afternoon. 
• There is NO bus transportation for this program.  Families must be able to drop off and pick up their child.
• The maximum class size is 20, with a teacher and one teaching assistant. 
• Since 2015, District 63's Preschool for All has received a Gold Circle of Quality from the Illinois State Board of Education based on the program meeting or exceeding a range of quality benchmarks.  
• One of the classrooms is a dual language (Spanish/English) for children who are currently monolingual Spanish speakers or who have Spanish as the primary language in their home.

Qualifying for the Program

Families and children must qualify for this program, and the District prioritizes children in the greatest need. 

Screening Application Information
Complete all four steps below to be added to the screening list.  Once all materials are submitted and completed, we'll schedule a free screening during which a staff team - including a special education teacher, occupational therapist, speech/language therapist, psychologist, or social worker - will observe your child's skills through play-based activities. We will contact you with the results and, if needed, offer recommendations for further testing. 

Please note that application submission does not ensure entrance to the program. After the screening, verification of income and at-risk factors are discussed in confidence with families. 

1. Complete the First Steps Preschool Application found HERE.  
2. Participate in the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) found HERE (Espanol, Arabic).
   • As part of the ASQ-3 questionnaire, you will be asked to answer questions about some things your child can and cannot do. This includes questions about your child's communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social skills. As part of the ASQ-SE-2, you will be asked to answer questions about some of your child's behaviors. The questionnaire includes questions about your child's ability to calm down, take directions and follow rules, communicate, perform daily activities (e.g., eating, sleeping), act independently, demonstrate feelings, and interact with others. You will need to choose the first option and complete BOTH the ASQ-3 and the ASQ:SE-2
3. Proof of residency (enrollment limited to District 63 residents) must be emailed to firststeps@emsd63.org. Please put your child's name in the subject line when emailing the documents.
4. A copy of your child's birth certificate must be emailed to firststeps@emsd63.org.

First Steps Preschool ofrece preescolar para los niños que viven en el Distrito 63 que actualmente son hablantes de español monolingües, o para quienes el español es el idioma principal en su hogar. El Programa de Lenguaje Dual se ofrece a través de First Steps Preescolar para Todos.

Financiado a través de una subvención proporcionada por la Junta de Educación del Estado de Illinois (ISBE), Preescolar para Todos apoya a los niños del Distrito 63 que están "en riesgo" de tener dificultades escolares. El objetivo es brindar educación temprana, continua, intensiva e integral, así como servicios de apoyo familiar, para ayudar a preparar a los niños para el éxito escolar posterior.

Esto es lo que debe saber:

• Si su hijo califica no hay ningún costo para asistir y se proporciona transportación de autobús.
• Los estudiantes asisten de lunes a viernes durante dos horas y media – ya sea por la mañana o por la tarde. 
• El tamaño máximo de la clase es de 18 estudiantes, con una maestra y una maestra asistente.
• La instrucción es en español e inglés y el currículo está alineado con los Estándares de aprendizaje temprano de Illinois.  
• Desde 2015, Preescolar para Todos del Distrito 63 ha recibido un Círculo Dorado de Calidad de la Junta de Educación del Estado de Illinois, basando en que el programa cumplió o superó una variedad de puntos de referencia de calidad.

Calificar para el Programa

Familias y niños deben calificar para este programa; el distrito da prioridad a los niños que tienen más necesidades.

Información de la Solicitud de Evaluación

Complete los materiales abajo. Luego, le haremos una cita para una evaluación gratuita durante la cual un equipo de personal, que puede incluir un maestro de educación especial, terapeuta ocupacional, terapeuta del habla/lenguaje, psicólogo o trabajador social, observará las habilidades de su hijo a través de actividades basadas en el juego. Nos comunicaremos con usted para informarle de los resultados y, si es necesario, le ofreceremos recomendaciones para realizar más pruebas.

Tenga en cuenta: una solicitud entregada no garantiza la entrada al programa. Después de la evaluación, la verificación de ingresos y factores de riesgo se discuten en confianza  con las familias. 

1. Complete la solicitud de First Steps Preschool. 
2. Participe en los Cuestionarios de Edades y Etapas.  Complete tanto el ASQ-3 como el ASQ: SE-2
   • Se le pedirá que responda preguntas sobre algunas cosas que su hijo puede y no puede hacer, incluyendo la comunicación, motores gruesas, motores fino, resolución de problemas y habilidades personales y sociales. También se le preguntará acerca de los comportamientos, incluida la capacidad de su hijo para calmarse, tomar instrucciones y seguir las reglas, comunicarse, realizar actividades diarias (por ejemplo, comer, dormir), actuar de forma independiente, demostrar sentimientos e interactuar con los demás. 
3. Envié por correo electrónico a firststeps@emsd63.org su prueba de residencia.
4. Envíe por correo electrónico una copia del certificado de nacimiento de su hijo a firststeps@emsd63.org.

District 63 provides a continuum of services for preschool-aged children (3-5) with special needs, including:

Center-based speech therapy: Designed for children who are developing typically except for mild to moderate articulation delays and/or mild expressive language delays, this therapy is delivered at the Early Learning Center (ELC), during one or two half-hour sessions per week.

Classroom-based intervention:  

• Blended special needs pre-kindergarten: half-day (2½ hours), multi-age classroom comprising of students who qualify for the Illinois Preschool for All Program, community students, and students with IEPs. The special needs children receive their IEP-related services in and out of the classroom.

• Structured teaching classroom: half-day (2½ hours) classroom servicing students with moderate-to-severe communication, social-emotional, and sensory needs. These students have a high need for adult support, individualized instruction, and alternative communication, language, and/or behavior systems. Related Services are integrated into the classroom.

• Life skills/multiple needs classroom: a half-day (2½ hours) classroom for students with severe functional delays who have a high need for adult support, individualized instruction, alternative communication or language systems, and/or motor adaptations. These children may or may not have significant medical needs. Related services are integrated into the classroom.

Students are placed into classrooms based on the least restrictive environment and their need for adult support to meet their educational goals.

Related Services
While attending the First Steps Preschool Program, your child may also be eligible for therapy services related to his/her special needs, including:

• Speech/language therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Social work or counseling
• Assistive technology
• Nursing
• Vision services
• Hearing services

An important message about residency.
Students attending District 63 schools must legally reside within the District’s boundaries. It is a criminal offense to enroll a non-resident student, except as allowed by law. Public school districts are supported by local tax dollars, and falsifying residency is an added burden on our taxpayers. 

CLEAR

D63 checks the residency of all new and returning students in February/March each year using a public records database called CLEAR Batch. Families may receive an email from the District requesting additional information in order to enroll their student(s). This can happen for two reasons:

• CLEAR Batch identified inconsistent or insufficient public records for that family
• The family may have been randomly selected to provide additional documentation.

If we were unable to verify your residency, or you were randomly selected, you will be asked to provide proof of residency during registration.