PRESCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Center Cass School District 66 provides a preschool program specifically designed to meet the needs of children between the ages of three (3) and five (5).

Birth Through Three Screening

Center Cass School District 66 partners with Child and Family Connections to provide Early Intervention (EI) services.  If you have a child between the ages of birth (0) to age three (3) and have concerns about their development, you are encouraged to call Child and Family Connections at 630-493-0400.  

Preschool Screening

Center Cass School District 66 offers developmental preschool screening for children between the ages of three (3) through five (5) that are suspected to have developmental delays or disabilities.   Children are screened in five areas: vision, hearing, language development, fine and gross motor, and concept development.  Children identified through the screening process may be referred for a full evaluation to determine special education eligibility and program needs.  Children experiencing significant risk factors in their environment but not at risk for a disability may be eligible for the Preschool For All (PFA) blended preschool program.

Preschool Screening Dates for 2024-2025 

• Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

• Friday, January 31, 2025 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

Please call Center Cass School District 66’s Student Services office at 630-783-5168 for a screening appointment. Screening appointments must be made at least 2 weeks in advance of the screening date. 

Early Childhood Blended Program and Preschool For All (PFA) Program  

Center Cass School District 66 offers an Early Childhood Blended Preschool program for residents of the district and is referred to as “A Blended Preschool for All”.  The program serves students ages three (3) through five (5) within a positive, nurturing environment that fosters social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth and development.  The curriculum is play-based and progressive with a focus on pre-readiness in literacy and numeracy.  A limited number of tuition slots are available for this program. 

• All students are screened before enrolling in the program.  There are 3 ways (categories) to access the program, which are defined below:

Location

• Elizabeth Ide Elementary School, 2000 Manning Rd., Darien, IL 60561

Program Description

• The Center Cass School District 66 Preschool program operates 5 days a week, students attend either the morning (8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)  or afternoon session (11:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.).  Each class has a maximum of 20 students with no more than 6 of the students identified as having special education needs.  There is one certified Early Childhood Teacher and two classroom aides for each class. In addition, a speech therapist works with the classroom to assist the students with language development, an occupational therapist works on fine motor development, a physical therapist addresses the area of gross motor skills, and a social worker works on developing social and emotional skills.  Additionally, an elementary school psychologist provides support to the classroom and is available to consult with families as needed.

Contact

• Please contact the Director of Student Services at the Student Services office if you have any questions at 630-783-5168.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Click here for Frequently Asked Questions

Calendar & Important Dates

• Center Cass School District 66 Calendar School Year 2024-25