Think back to your last job interview. It is unlikely that the interviewer ever asked you how old you were when you learned to read, or when you mastered counting to 20, or even when you felt confident with the alphabet. They did probably ask you how you handle yourself when things get hard, how you work with others who are different from you, or even how you resolve conflict, which are all things that the early childhood team at Maercker District 60 are weaving into daily life in their classrooms.
D60 offers an Early Childhood Blended Preschool, Preschool for All, and Foundation program at Holmes School for residents of the district. The programs serve students ages three through five within a positive, nurturing environment that fosters social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth and development. Alongside incredible instructional assistants, teachers Beth Krause, Elizabeth Jason, Robyn Atkinson, and Amanda Laurinec are dedicated to making each day fun, educational, and meaningful for all of their students.
A Day in the Life and Where the Magic Happens
With a morning and an afternoon section offered, each day follows a similar structure. A welcome meeting kicks things off with a song, a game, and talking about what is happening that day. The class mathematician counts how many students are present and the class prepares to learn. Some teachers offer the opportunity for each child to choose how they want to be greeted, whether it is a hug, high five, a fist bump, or the fan favorite, doing a silly dance with the teacher. The day also includes story time, the chance to go outside to the playground, and a snack.
Most teachers say that centers time is when the magic happens, as students are able to choose from a variety of different activities around the room including blocks, a pretend play area, dress up clothes, a sensory table, working on vocabulary, and many others that change throughout the year. While some may see kids playing, the teachers see opportunities for learning important life skills.
“Early childhood is when kids can really learn social skills and that is our focus here,” said Blended Preschool Teacher Beth Krause. “Things like sharing, taking turns, waiting for your turn, and having grace and acceptance for other people who are different are all foundational skills that you need for anything. Lessons on social emotional skills are great, but you need to practice and play is the best way to do that.”
Most of the preschool classrooms are a blended program, which means that children from all backgrounds and abilities are in the same classroom including students with IEPs and special needs as well as students who are developing typically. For the teachers, this creates opportunities to teach students how to work with others, how to change how they play to include someone, and how to get along with people that are different from them. For the students, it just means more friends to play with.
“Children who go through blended programs learn empathy and how to serve as peer role models so they get a lot of the essential skills to be ready for kindergarten,” said Blended Preschool Teacher Elizabeth Jason. “I believe that there is a magic that happens in preschool where we can work on relationship building in ways that other grades just can’t. What I care about is that they leave here thinking that they love school, are safe at school, and feel valued at school.”
Passing Down a Life-Long Curiosity for Learning
Teachers at Maercker D60 preschool are certified teachers who have a passion for early learning. Amanda Laurinec is new to the profession, having recently graduated college and teaches the new Preschool For All Program. This state-funded program offers ways to reach students who may not be able to afford preschool, bringing a high quality education to more students than ever before. Laurinec’s dedication to preschool goes back to when she was a student.
"My preschool teacher was the original inspiration behind my decision to become an educator,” said Laurinec. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have had a teacher who truly loved and cared for her students. Although I graduated high school in 2020 and didn't experience the typical graduation photos, I was able to visit my preschool teacher's home and take a photo with her while wearing my cap and gown. I aspire to have a lifelong impact on my students, just as she did on me. My hope is that my classroom will always be a place where students feel safe, supported, seen, and loved, every single day."
Embracing and Supporting All Learners
Maercker D60 embraces and supports all learners with strong systems of support to meet any child where they are. For our youngest learners, the Early Childhood Foundation program is a self-contained classroom of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that uses a different curriculum than the other classes that is designed to provide students with units of learning aligned to Illinois Early Learning Standards and IEP goals.
The units are highly engaging and include differentiated instructional supports to address emergent literacy, play skills, sensory regulation, communication, fine motor, and social skills. The experience of the classroom is a little more structured than the others with resources for students including communications boards, a stronger emphasis on visual learning, and regular collaboration with speech, occupational, and physical therapists who work with students.
“We have smaller class sizes with a maximum of 10 students and two instructional assistants to help,” said Foundation teacher Robyn Atkinson. “Some students are learning how to play so we work on joint attention and sharing. The blended program may be too overwhelming for some students, so we try to prepare them so they eventually transition into one of those classrooms with the skills they need.”
Sense of Community and Belonging Beyond the Classroom
One of the benefits of having the preschool program housed at Holmes is that teachers get to keep track of their students as they transition to grades K-2. This allows teachers to see growth in their students in really exciting ways and creates a stronger sense of community and connection throughout the school.
“I had a little girl who just went to third grade and when she started with me, she was so small she couldn’t reach the sink and had no patience if something wasn’t going her way right away but now she has grown so much and is so patient and independent,” recalled Krause.
“My favorite thing is that we can see students from last year who have moved onto kindergarten because they have a strong bond,” said Jason, “I have a current kindergarten student who knocks on the door to say hello every day and it’s the best part of my day. I will always pause what I’m doing to get a hug from him!”
The other little successes that stand out for teachers are those aha moments or seeing students make progress on something that they have struggled with.
“In my classroom it is amazing to see a kid that has maybe been ignoring you finally start letting you play, or those who don’t talk at all start talking,” said Atkinson. “Even before becoming a parent myself, I recognized my connection with younger children and the unique joy they bring. We are here to set the kids up for success no matter how they learn and that is powerful.”
“All that matters to me is that kids are excited to come to school,” said Laurinec. “While we teach letters and numbers, we also teach them what school is all about and how to follow a schedule and establish routines. My goal is to create a sense of joy around learning. If you can build that excitement in preschool, it’s likely to continue growing as they progress through their education. A school can only succeed when every teacher shares the goal of having their students fall in love with learning!"
Students can join the preschool program later in the year after they have turned three. To learn more about the Preschool Programs offered at Maercker D60 and submit a preschool application, visit our website.
Interested in current year or next year enrollment? Submit an application!
Preschool Parent Information Night
We will be holding a Preschool Parent Information Night on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Holmes School, 5800 S. Holmes Ave., Clarendon Hills from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Come hear more about our program!