Dist. 41 OKs bus service for pre-kindergarten

Enrolling at-risk children in the pre-kindergarten program in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 is the easy part.

Getting them to school is a little trickier.

Now that the district has moved all of its early childhood classes to Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, it needs to add bus service to help get children there.

School board members approved spending $53,000 for additional door-to-door service for students in the morning and afternoon half-day classes.

"Ninety-five percent of the students participating in this program are second language learners and most will require transportation since parents or caretakers are without their own transportation or must be at their workplace and are unavailable to transport their children to and from school," District 41 Superintendent Ann Riebock said in a report to the school board.

Last year, the program was divided between Franklin and Winston Churchill schools, with bus service offered only at Franklin. Limited space at Churchill prompted a switch of all classes to Franklin this year, which led to the need for more buses, said Julie Worthen, District 41 director of communications.

The program is funded in large part by grants, but the additional transportation costs must be paid for by the district. And because the children can be as young as three, they require additional assistance, hence the more costly door-to-door service with child safety seats.

Up to 80 children can be enrolled in the four sections of the specialized program. So far, there are 70 students in the program, but enrollment is continuing, Worthen said.