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Community Preschool

Friendship soup

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 2023-2024 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.