Stay, play or do homework — just don't misbehave

When Hoffman Estates police moved into their new station over the summer, it provided an opportunity for Schaumburg Elementary District 54.

The district offers a bevy of services through its Early Childhood Resource Centers, but many of them were out of reach for families living near the police station, east of the intersection at Higgins and Golf roads.

That's why earlier this month, village police and District 54 came together to open a new early childhood center inside the station at 411 W. Higgins Road.

The center offers not only services like after school homework help for children and English as a Second Language and basic computer skills classes for adults, but also gives parents a chance to, well, play with their kids.

Busy parents working multiple jobs may not have the time or space at home to sit down on the floor and play with their child. The centers give them an alternative.

“It's an opportunity to interact with parents with puzzles and crafts,” said Donica Luzwick, a child and family educator for District 54. “We need to bring children and parents together, they need to come together where they can work side by side.”

District 54 has 27 early childhood center classrooms scattered throughout its boundaries, and there's a list of as many as 300 families waiting for its programs. An open house at the new center drew about 100 families last week.

“It's not going to be the same 15 kids every day,” Luzwick said.

The new center will be staffed by District 54 employees, and Luzwick said there's talk about getting some Harper College staff to participate. An Early Childhood block grant from the state funds the program.

Acting Police Chief Michael Hish said there are advantages of having the new center inside the police station.

“We try to develop relations with the kids and their parents,” he said.

The station will actively publicize the center's programs using the station's electronic LCD kiosk, added Hish, whose department has experience with similar centers. The village's first, opened in 2000 at the Salem Hill/Interlude apartments, is overseen by Officer Tony Caceres

Luzwick wants families to expect a warm and inviting environment.

“I think it's phenomenal all these agencies have come together to work to serve our families, and that's what's so important, we're really, really excited about this,” she said.

The demand for the center should quash the notion that poverty does not exist in Schaumburg Township. It's harder to see poverty with older children, Luzwick said, when teachers and classmates may think it's a student's fashion choice to wear a hooded sweatshirt during colder winter months when a thicker coat is needed.

“I think it's more noticeable in early childhood,” Luzwick said. “You notice when your 4-year-old comes to school and it's 10 degrees out and they don't a winter coat.”

Even though the center primarily serves the poor, Luzwick wants all families to utilize the center. They've got the materials like scissors, glue and paint, to allow children's imaginations to run wild in a healthy and supervised environment.

For more information about the center, call Luzwick at (847) 357-2093.