Practical PR: ECE Continues to Grow

By Thomas Hernandez

Plainfield CCSD 202 was one of the fastest-growing districts in the entire country in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Student enrollment skyrocketed from 3,500 in 1990 to 29,254 students in 2009 — an astounding 736% increase for this PreK-12 district about 40 miles west of Chicago in suburban Will County.

Then, in 2008, the Great Recession hit.

District 202’s breathtaking student growth skidded to a halt. Nearly 12 years later enrollment has declined at every level — except, that is, for early childhood which continues to grow. 
This trend is interesting, but not surprising, said Mina Griffith, District 202 Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. Parents and politicians are increasingly recognizing and appreciating the significant academic, social/emotional, and behavioral value of early childhood education, including preschool and kindergarten, Griffith said. 

“We are very lucky to be in a state that values early childhood education, and that’s across (political) parties,” said Griffith, who was an early childhood teacher and principal of District 202’s preschool, the Bonnie McBeth Learning Center. Under both Democratic and Republican leadership, Illinois has prioritized and funded early childhood and preschool for all programming. “We’d apply for more ourselves, Griffith said, “but we don’t have the space” for more students.

From its peak in 2009, District 202’s enrollment has dropped steadily each year thanks to changing economic and market factors and normal attrition. This year, total enrollment stands at 26,291 students. Even with the decline in numbers, District 202 is still the fifth-largest public school district in Illinois. During that time, kindergarten enrollment topped out at 1,956 students in the district’s 17 elementary schools and has held steady at around 1,500 since 2015. 

However, preschool enrollment has jumped 24 percent, from 652 students in 2012 to 806 this year. What’s more, preschool enrollment tends to increase during the school year, usually topping out at around 900 as more children are evaluated for programming. District 202 has created “satellite” preschool classes in some of its other school buildings to accommodate the overflow population. This year, it opened the Ina Brixey Center as a second early childhood facility.

Families are growing to understand the importance of early childhood education.
District 202 saw its referrals for early intervention services drop during the Recession, Griffith said. 

“But when the funding was restored in 2013, our referrals jumped again significantly,” Griffith said, noting this was not only because financial assistance was available.

Early intervention services help educators identify and work with very young children to prepare them for preschool and kindergarten.

Some parents — especially older ones — may not recognize today’s early childhood and kindergarten classes from their own experience, and they’re not entirely wrong. Today’s early childhood classes tend to focus more on basic academics than ever before, a change many parents favor to give their child a head start on their academic path.

This shift is born out in the increasing number of school districts adding full-day kindergarten to its schedule. Currently District 202 does not have enough physical space in its 17 elementary schools to provide full-day kindergarten to the estimated 1,500 students who would qualify. Rather, it offers half-day kindergarten to all students and for the last four years has offered one class of full-day kindergarten to about 400 students chosen by lottery. 

District 202’s half-day and full-day kindergarten curricula are identical. The only significant difference is that the full-day curriculum allows more time for teachers to work individually with students. The district plans to build its 18th full-service elementary school to create enough space district-wide to provide full-day kindergarten to all interested students. 

As important as academics are, today’s preschool and kindergarten classrooms also focus on teaching essential social, emotional, behavioral and communication skills with a new emphasis on age-appropriate play and activities.

 “Studies show that from birth to 8 years old, kids learn best through play,” Griffith said. “Their brain develops while playing.” 

Such skills also help today’s littlest learners function better in the kind of “controlled” atmosphere typically found in a public school classroom, compared to the more student-led learning approach sometimes used in private schools. This shift is subtle but critical, Griffith said, noting that it prepares today’s littlest learners for the cooperative learning they will experience later.  

“Education today is filled with hands-on, project-based learning,” she said. “If kids don’t acquire these learning and socialization skills early, they won’t be as successful later when they have to work together with others,” Griffith said. 
 

Thomas Hernandez is Director of Community Relations for Plainfield CCSD 202.