THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2008
Lottery Decides Who's In Dist. 59 Early Childhood
Parents interested in having their children attend Elk Grove Township Elementary Dist. 59's Early Childhood Program for the 2008-09 school year as a tuition-based student, will be given an opportunity to place their child's name on a lottery list.
Beginning Monday, May 5- Friday, May 9, parents will be allowed to place their child's name on a lottery list during regular school hours at any district school.
At that time, parents will be required to:
* Provide proof of residency;
* Provide birth certificate;
* Complete Dist. 59's Registration Card;
* Submit a deposit of $175 by check or money order only.
All four components must be provided before their child's name will be placed in the lottery.
Parents of students whose names were randomly drawn will be notified by the end of May.
Deposits will be returned to parents of children whose names were not randomly drawn, along with a letter explaining that their child was not selected.
According to Melissa Ward, program coordinator, this is the second year the district will conduct a lottery.
"We decided to implement the lottery process, because more families were interested in having their children participate in this program and there are only so many spots available," said Ward.
Ward said the number of available spots depends on a year-to-year basis.
"We first select children with disabilities, then those that are considered at-risk, and finally those that pay tuition," added Ward.
Ward was unsure of the number of students that participated in the lottery last year, and was also unable to predict the amount of students that will partake in the lottery this year.
A four-day program that begins in September and runs through June will cost parents $1,810 for the entire year, $905 per semester, or $181 a month.
For a five-day program that goes from September through June, parents will pay $2,260 per year, $1,130 per semester or $226 per month.
This year, the four-day program cost parents $1,740 for the entire year, $870 per semester, or $174 a month.
For a five-day program, parents have paid $2,170 per year, $1,085 per semester or $217 per month.
The four-day program will be held Monday-Thursday from 12:45 to 3:15 p.m. The five-day program will be conducted Monday-Friday from 9:25 to 11:55 a.m.
Schools hosting the program next year are John Jay Elementary School in Mt. Prospect; Forest View Elementary School in Mt. Prospect; Brentwood School in Des Plaines and Ridge Family Center for Learning in Elk Grove Village.
Illinois' Early Childhood Program is targeted to reach at-risk children from birth to age five. Targeted populations include children from households with low parental education or children in poverty. Children are identified for enrollment based on individual screening and assessment.
The program includes four initiatives. The largest is the Pre-Kindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure. The other three initiatives are Model Early Childhood Parental Training (birth to three years), Model Early Childhood Parental Training (three to five), and Prevention Initiative for Programs Offering Coordinated Services to At Risk Children and Their Families (birth to three).
According to the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE), research shows that the sooner children have access to a quality educational environment, the better their long-term learning achievements will be. At-risk children who received high-quality early education are 20% more likely to complete high school and 41% less likely to be placed in special education. In addition, at-risk children who received high-quality early education are 42% less likely to be arrested as a juvenile for a violent offense, and will have half as many criminal arrests and higher earnings and property wealth as an adult.