District 54 hosts Early Learning Center Grand Opening on August 28
The new District 54 Early Learning Center would like to invite the community to its grand opening at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2014.
The Early Learning Center will be located in the building formerly known as the Rauch Center, which was originally built as Schaumburg School. We are excited to reopen the building as a school and to bring all of our early childhood students and educators together under one roof.
The celebration will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. on the north side of the building near the front doors, 520 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. Following the ceremony, students, families and other guests are invited to tour the building, visit classrooms, meet the staff and enjoy refreshments in our multipurpose room.
District 54 currently serves 331 special education students ages 3 to 5 (as required by state law) and 450 at-risk students ages 3 to 5. Our program for at-risk students is funded with two Illinois State Board of Education grants.
Research consistently demonstrates that a high quality early childhood education results in a narrowing of the achievement gap, increased brain development, lower retention rates and special education placements, and an increased development of both academic and social skill acquisition for children.
Although we have had early childhood programming for years, by housing our students at one school we can provide a better experience for students. Our early childhood program may be a child's first experience with school and a parent's first experience having a child in school. With one center for early childhood classes, parents and students can establish relationships with staff. Knowing that the children are already at-risk for school failure or are in need of special education services makes our contact with parents critical to ensure the experience is positive.
The Early Learning Center will also house the district's screening program. During screening, parents will be able to see the classrooms their children would attend and meet the center's principal and other personnel.