Early Learning Center Family News
March 2022
Translate Newsletter / Traduce Boletín
Step 1 / Paso 1
Step 2 / Paso 2
Step 3 / Paso 3
Contact Information
Email: firststeps@emsd63.org
Website: emsd63.org/firststeps
Location: 10000 Dee Road, Des Plaines, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-4165
Twitter: @D63_FirstSteps
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 7th
- No School for Preschoolers- School Improvement Planning Day
- Spring Picture Day
- Evening Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 PM
- No School for Students
- Parent Teacher Conference 8:00-11:00 AM
- No School for Students- Spring Break
- School Resumes
- Week of the Young Child
Wednesday, April 5th
- Ronald McDonald Care Mobile @ ELC
- Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 PM
Dear Preschool Families,
This upcoming Monday, March 7th, preschool students do not have school. Although we are not hosting a live virtual event on this day we wanted to send out some activities that you could try out with your child at home. Explore animals and insects around the world by checking out these virtual tours:
This year the Early Learning Center will be celebrating Week of the Young Child from April 2nd - 8th. This is a NAEYC sponsored week that helps spread the word about the importance of high-quality early learning, and the critical role early childhood educators and families play in a child’s development and learning. The Week of the Young Child® is a time to recognize that children's opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early environment—at home, at child care, at school, and in the community—that will promote their early learning. More information will come home about the week and events at the end of March. However, in the meantime, we are looking to collect some information from you. Are there songs or music that you like to listen to as a family? If so, please submit your selections on this survey. We would like to incorporate some of these into one of our daily activities during the Week of the Young Child.
Thank you all for your continued partnership and support!
Sincerely,
Barb Golik
Principal
Spring Parent Teacher Conferences
Conferences are being offered virtually or in-person
- Thursday, March 17 from 5 - 8 p.m.
- Friday, March 18 from 8 - 11 a.m. No school for students.
Sign up for your child's conference(s) at any school using our conference portal:
Deadline March 16 at 11:55 p.m. If you would like to meet in-person, when booking appointments use Manual Booking Mode and enter "in-person" in the "Add Message for Teacher?" comment box. Need help? Review the Parents' Guide for Booking Appointments / Guía de reserva de citas para padres.
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile
Advocate Children’s Hospital Ronald McDonald Care Mobile will be coming to the Early Learning Center on April 5th, 2022. They provide quality health care (health screenings, school physicals and immunizations) for children. This service is being brought to the ELC to help parents acquire required kindergarten physicals and immunizations. Children without insurance or with Medicaid (state-funded insurance) qualify to be seen by the Ronald McDonald Mobile Van.
If you would like your child to receive a physical and immunizations, please fill out the forms provided here (en espanol). You may email the forms to lwhite@emsd63.org or send the paperwork to school in your child's backpack A physical exam with immunizations will take approximately 40 minutes. Vaccines only will take about 20 minutes. The physical and immunizations completed at this visit will fulfill the kindergarten requirements.
A parent may accompany their child to the visit. Please make sure you bring a driver's license or state ID and wear a mask.
If you have any questions or I can be of assistance, please contact me at lwhite@emsd63.org or in the office at 847-493-8573.
Mobile Dentist
The State of Illinois requires students in Kindergarten to have a dental exam. They provide dental cleanings, screenings, fluoride treatments, and sealants. This exam will also meet the requirement for students that will be in Kindergarten next school year 2022-2023.
The Smile Illinois Mobile Dentist will be at the Early Learning Center on Thursday, April 28, 2022.
This service is available for all district 63 students with or without insurance. There is no cost to students covered by Medicaid and All Kids. If your student does not have dental insurance, they do offer a reduced fee of $70. The Smile Illinois Mobile Dentist also accepts private insurance. Please use this link to fill out the information necessary to sign up for the mobile dentist. Paper forms will also be sent home with students this week. Return the form (paper or online) by Friday, April 1, 2022.
If you have already turned in a dental form this year, please disregard this message. If you have any questions, please email or call Leslie White at 847-493-8573.
Spring Pictures
If you would like your child to participate in Spring Picture Day please send in the order form or click here to complete
the online order form.
Picture Day Date: Wednesday, March 9
Picture Day ID: EVTD44BCQ
Last Chance... Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey
To take the survey visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. When searchng for the school we are: Early Learning Center-Des Plaines (10000 Dee Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016).
Clean Up, Give Back
Clean Up, Give Back is an organization in the Chicagoland area that sponsors plastic bag drives and clean up efforts in the communities. The ELC will be participating in a community plastic bag drive effort. Preschoolers are currently learning about how to "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and this collection effort ties nicely into the unit of study. We will start our plastic bag drive now and continue through Earth Month in April. The ELC goal is to collect at least 25 lbs. of plastic bags by then. We have collected approximately 18.5 lbs as of right now! Here are some things to know:
- Review this flyer letting you know what items we are collecting.