Inspiring every student, every day to reach their full potential.

Full-Day Kindergarten

Our First Full-Day Kindergarteners Will Arrive in 2027-28

A new chapter is beginning at District 57! Beginning in the 2027–28 school year, District 57 will welcome our first cohort of students to a full-day kindergarten program at Westbrook School for Young Learners.

We are incredibly excited to give our youngest learners more time each day to learn, explore, create, build relationships, and develop the skills they need for a successful start to their school journey.

This milestone represents years of planning, community support, and investment in our students' future—and we can't wait to welcome our first full-day kindergarten class!

Our Current Kindergarten Program

Currently, our half-day kindergarten program operates Monday-Friday for 2.5-hour sessions in the morning and afternoon at Westbrook School for Young Learners.

Students delve into Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and social-emotional learning. Kindergarteners also engage in Physical Education three times a week, along with Library/Technology skills instruction twice a week.

Our committed teams in special education, intervention, emergent bilingual education, and related services ensure that each child receives personalized support for optimal growth.

Why Full Day Kindergarten?

In 2023, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 2396 requiring all Illinois public schools to establish Full Day Kindergarten programs by the 2027-2028 school year.

District 57 recognizes the significant benefits to offering a full-day program and that we are one of the last districts in the area to offer Full Day Kindergarten.

Through our new 5-Year Strategic Plan, District 57 was already moving toward offering Full Day Kindergarten before HB2396 was signed, but this new mandate requires us to speed up our timeline.

To learn more about Westbrook School for Young Learners, click here.

Benefits of Full Day Kindergarten

The transition to Full Day Kindergarten offers numerous tangible benefits to our students, families, and community.

Academics: Full Day Kindergarten provides students with greater exposure to educational opportunities and experiences. Teachers can dive deeper into the curriculum, offer more robust learning experiences, and amplify their students’ success.

Social-Emotional Skills: A kindergartener is at a pivotal stage in their social-emotional development. The additional time afforded through a Full Day Kindergarten program allows the student to practice critical skills in a structured and safe setting. These skills include empathy, collaboration, resilience, adaptability, and critical thinking.

Families Prefer: The majority of our families need and want Full Day Kindergarten for their children. Beyond the academic and social-emotional advantages, students flourish in environments characterized by consistency, free from schedule disruptions and constant transitions.

Teachers Prefer: Full Day Kindergarten provides teachers with the opportunity to know their students better, explore their personal interests, delve deeper into subject matter, adapt curriculum to different developmental levels, practice social-emotional skills, and more.