-PreK Program Overview
Our Philosophy
The Hawthorn PreK program will seek children in the Hawthorn community that may be at risk for failure in the school setting. The at risk category may include a delay in one or more areas of physical, social, emotional or cognitive development.
Our program emphasizes the family unit as being the precursor to school success. Our goals include creating awareness of age appropriate development and the direct link between parental involvement and a child's school success.
Our classroom environment maintains a developmentally appropriate curriculum regarding the importance of developing the child as a whole. Chuildren are regarded as individuals with an acceptance and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each and every child enrolled.
Our Purpose
PreK's purpose is to provide a quality PreKindergarten program for children within the Hawthorn community two years prior to kindergarten. PreK also provides parents a hands on opportunity to be a part of their child's first school experience.
Who is Eligible?
PreK accepts three and four year old children. Your child must turn three years old prior to September 1st to be eligible for the PreK program.
Children also need to take part in our PreK screening to be determined to be eligible.
Screenings take place in the spring and fall, or throughout the school year, if slots are still available for placement.
Screenings take place in the PreK classroom and are assigned as they become available.
In the screening process, the PreK staff works with your child to assess development in all areas.
The screenings take about one hour.
Prior to the screening, parents must complete a PreK questionnaire, provide your child's birth certificate, and provide documentation to prove your residency within the Hawthorn school district. Upon determination of eligibility, parents must attend a mandatory informational meeting.
In addition, prior to starting the PreK program a current physical examination must be provided to our school nurse.
Our Program
The funding for PreK is provided by the State of Illinois. Grant funding is based on an application submitted yearly through the Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant. Funds are distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The design of our program is evaluated by the ISBE and we are committed to designing a program based on the rules and regulations established by the ISBE and Early Childhood Block Grant funding.
PreK is a program aligned with the Illinois Early Learning Standards.
Our Program Design
PreK students attend school Monday through Thursday 1/2 day sessions. Hours for our program vary depending on the location housing PreK.
Transportation is provided according to the district rules for busing.
Families enrolled in PreK are responsible for the student fees as outlined by Hawthorn District 73.
Students are placed in the most appropriate classroom based on the results of the PreK screening.
PreK consists of three classrooms. A three year old classroom, a four year old classroom and a bilingual (english/spanish) classroom housing a mix of three and four year olds.
The Parent Component
Parent are an integral part of the PreK experience. Parents are required to participate and the opportunities are many, not to mention all the fun!
For parents, our doors are always open and you are welcomed in the classroom at any time.
Some of the opportunities for families are our monthly Literacy nights, monthly At Home activities, field trips, parent teacher conferences, our extensive lending library, and an occasional Friday parent informaional meeting.