District 196 Kindergarten and
Kindergarten Plus Program

Our Kindergarten Philosophy
The goal of education is to encourage the development of children who are happy, compassionate, self-initiating, creative, inquisitive and eager to learn. Kindergarten lays the foundation for learning experiences by providing appropriate opportunities for these qualities to develop.

If this is your first child to attend school, you probably have several questions. We hope to answer many of those here. Even if this is not your first experience with kindergarten, we hope that you will find this information useful and interesting. New things are always happening in education, and kindergarten is no exception.

In 2004, we added an option for kindergarten students to stay all day with their kindergarten teacher, in a program called Kindergarten Plus. In addition, three of the district’s elementary schools are magnet schools, which offer a theme-based learning environment.

As always, our top quality half-day program remains available at all elementary schools, for those families who prefer this experience. We are happy to answer your questions and supply the information you need. Please see the back cover for contacts regarding any questions you have.

We look forward to welcoming your child to kindergarten in September.