About ECE 

At a Glance

Preschool Program Offerings

  • Preschool for All (PFA) 
  • Community Partnership - Preschool Subcontracting
  • Head Start Child Development Program 
  • Collaboration Preschool Program  
  • Child-Parent Centers (CPC) 
  • Tuition-Based Preschool (TBP) 
  • Kindergarten

Program Formats

Prekindergarten

Rooms Day Length Weeks Hours
587 Half Day 40 PFA & CPC = 2 1/2 hours/Head Start = 3 hours
119 Full School Day 40 5 1/2 hours
14 Full-Day, Full Year 48 8 - 10 hours - Collaboration
25 Full-Day Tuition 40 10 hours - Tuition Based Preschool
514 Subcontracting 52 Child Care Agency Schedule (7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.)

Kindergarten

758 Full School Day 40 5 1/2-hour Instructional Sessions
151 4 - hour 40 4 - hour Instructional Sessions
41 Half-Day 40 2 1/2 - hour Instructional Sessions

Eligibility

Must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1st of the current school year for prekindergarten Funding source determines specific eligibility criteria 

Must be 5 years old on or before September 1st of the current school year for kindergarten NOTE: Must reside in schools' attendance area or have been accepted to a specialty program

Program

Total Slots Classrooms Schools/Locations
  (September 2008) (September 2008) (September 2008)
Preschool for All 16,840 44 258
Community Partnerships 9,568 514 231
Head Start 6,511 256 126
Child-Parent Centers 980 30 11
Tuition-Based Preschool 500 25 13
(Collaboration programs included
with Head Start rooms)

Community Partnership-Birth-3 3,806 296 129
Kindergarten 27,155 950 Available in elementary schools serving children at age 5

Curriculum Statement

It is expected that all preschool classrooms will implement the literacy curriculum provided by the Office of Early Childhood Education. A variety of materials and curricula have been provided along with training and professional development. Literacy activities should be an integral part of the preschool day. In addition to these activities, mulitple stories should be read to each group of children on a daily basis. Children may need to be divided by age as teachers should begin to read more detailed stories to the four-year-old children.

Technology Initiatives Computer Training Labs

Computer Training Labs Location of Labs: Fuller and Doolittle West Elementary Schools
Training classes for teachers, assistants, office and administrative staff
Training classes for parents, including open Lab time for parent use

Parent Involvement Initiatives

Virtual Pre-K!
www.virtualpre-k.org 		Interactive parent/teacher resources in English and Spanish. Program includes videotapes, CD-Roms, printed activity cards, a Web site, and training support to teachers and parents citywide. Virtual Pre-K! resources are available in all CPS early childhood programs and at Chicago Public Libraries.
Virtual K!
www.virtualk.org 		Virtual K! was launched in early 2005.

*Information provided in this document was updated as of October 1, 2008.

At a Glance (PDF)