Barrington Dist. 220 to prep parents for full-day kindergarten

Barrington Area Unit School District 220 will host a series of informational sessions for parents of children beginning kindergarten next school year, when a full-day option will be available for the first time.

In addition to the full-day kindergarten, which was approved by the school board in November, parents can choose among the Chinese Immersion program, the Spanish Dual-Language Learning program and the half-day kindergarten program.

Students in the full-day program will have an enhanced version of the half-day curriculum, as well as gym class every day and music and art classes twice a week. The full-day program will cost no more than $3,500, and possibly less depending on how many enroll.

District spokeswoman Morgan Delack said the district is putting together a video for its Vimeo page that will further explain how the full-day program enhances the half-day curriculum.

She said parents who are unable to attend the meeting scheduled at their local school can attend one at another school because the presentations will be the same. Each of the following presentations will begin at 7 p.m.:

Jan. 8: Countryside Elementary, 205 W. County Line Road in Barrington.

Jan. 12: Barbara B. Rose Elementary, 61 W. Penny Road in Barrington.

Jan. 14: Roslyn Road Elementary, 224 W. Roslyn Road in Barrington.

Jan. 20: The Early Learning Center, 40 E. Dundee Road in Barrington.

Jan. 21: North Barrington Elementary, 310 Route 59.

Jan. 22: Arnett C. Lines Elementary, 217 S. Eastern Ave. in Barrington.

Jan. 27: Hough Street Elementary, 310 S. Hough St. in Barrington.

Jan. 29: Grove Avenue Elementary, 900 S. Grove Ave. in Barrington.

Delack said parents also will receive a brochure on the options. The brochure will be put on the district's Web page later.

Parents will have several weeks to decide which of the four options they prefer. After the applications are collected in March, the district will match students up with their programs.