Every year on March 21, people all around the world come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by wearing brightly colored, mismatched socks. Join us!

AM classes DISMISS EARLY at 10:25 AM

If your child rides the bus home from our morning session, drop off at your home or child care will be 25 minutes early.

PM classes START EARLY at 11:25 AM and DISMISS EARLY at 1:30 PM

If your child rides the bus to school for our afternoon session, pick up will be 25 minutes early from your home or child care and the bus at the end of the day from Haines Center will drop off 50 minutes earlier.

Spring Break

School resumes April 7

A fun-filled week celebrating early learning, young children their teachers, families, and communities. Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Stay tuned on how to nominate a mascot for our D303 Early Childhood Program.

Mark your calendars for this evening event, open to everyone in our Early Childhood Community!

6 - 7 PM at the St. Charles Public Library

Join other families from D303 Early Childhood at the Haines Center for a night of activities at the St. Charles Public Library.

Paper and electronic nomincations for our new mascot are due today. Make sure you or your child's idea is submitted!

2:30 - 3:30 PM in the LRC.

Please note this is different than the last day for older students.

Save the date for our community celebration at Pottawatomie Park's inlcusive playground. Classrooms will be assigned for one of two sessions: 9:00 am - 10:30 am or 10:45 am - 12:15 pm.

As a community, we have a unique opportunity to come together and choose a mascot that will represent our D303 Early Childhood program’s spirit for years to come.

We're eager to hear all of your creative ideas and input throughout this process. Submit your ideas starting between Monday, April 7th and Friday, April 11th. There are two options for submitting your ideas:

1. Paper Nomination Forms

• Check your child’s backpack after school on Friday, March 28. Return completed forms in your child's backpack the week after Spring Break (April 7 - 11).
• Forms will also be available at our Week of the Young Child evening event on Wednesday, April 9 and our Preschool Night at the St. Charles Public Library on Thursday, April 10.

2. Electronic Nomination Form (available Friday, March 28 - Friday, April 11)

The Mascot Selection Committee will review all nominations and select the top 8 ideas that best meet our criteria, which includes:

• Reflecting our program's identity, history, or location (all of D303) and our D303 Early Learning Values

• Visual appeal and longevity

• Being child-friendly, inclusive, culturally sensitive, and gender-neutral

Once the top 8 mascots are chosen, we'll use an elimination voting system to let our students and staff determine the final two options. Professional mockups will be created for these two finalists.

Students and school staff will vote between the finalists in May. Our big reveal will be at our Early Childhood Community Celebration at Pottawatomie Park on Thursday, May 29.

Daytime Shopping Hours

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

2:00 PM - 3:00PM

Evening Shopping Hours:

Wednesday, April 9

4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Join Alina and Mi Amigo Hamlet for a fun, interactive concert the evening of Wednesday, April 9th (see flier above).

Their discography, featuring four bilingual albums – "Happy Land Is Tierra Feliz," "Love is Te Quiero," "Today is a Good Day," and "Hoy es un Buen Día" – is a treasure trove of multicultural melodies, available on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

They were honored as Jubilation Foundation fellows in 2020 and they were recognized as “Helpers” by the Parents’ Choice Foundation for their invaluable contribution of daily, live, bilingual classes on YouTube and Instagram, bringing learning and joy into homes during a time of uncertainty.

Preschool Night is a great opportunity for you to share an evening at the library with other families from the D303 Early Childhood at the Haines center. Come and say Hi to Librarian Soha and have some family fun at the library.

In March, our program will have a visit as part of the Preschool For All grant. A state monitor will observe 13 of our 28 classroom sessions from start to finish. If you have any questions about these visits, please contact jennifer.mursu@d303.org.

Would you like to assist our Early Childhood staff? Have some time to volunteer during the day? The Teacher Appreciation Committee (TAC) set up a system for you to come in and help with various tasks like copying, labeling and laminating. Call the office at 331-228-3400 (press 1 for early childhood) or email grace.patel@d303.org to see if there are jobs waiting to be completed. Thank you for considering!

Reminder: If someone other than the usual pickup person is picking up your child after school or early due to an illnes or emergency they need to have an ID with them. Thank you for helping us with our safety precautions. See below for updating your child's emergency contact information as well.

Please make sure your child has at least one emergency contact listed in case we can't reach you during an emergency. If you don’t have someone other than the parent/guardian to list, contact Tricia Sabathne, the Child and Family Educator, to discuss options. You can reach her at tricia.sabathne@d303.org or 331-228-5727.

If you have access to the Home Access Center (HAC), you can view this information there. Please check that the details are correct.

If you've never used the Home Access Center, please call our main office at 331-228-3400 (press 1) to get your username and password and to verify your emergency contact information. For Early Childhood families, these accounts have already been set up for you.

Click the link below to get a digital copy of the Family Engagement Activity Guide that was sent home recently. The calendar has extra ideas for you and your child to use on E-Learning days and our monthly Early Release days.

If you have a child between the ages of birth and five and live in Southern Kane County you can enroll them in the Imagination Library. Your child will receive books mailed to them monthly until their 5th birthday as long as they live in the covered geographic area. The covered area is the Fox Valley United Way service area and includes Campton Hills (60174), Elburn (60119), St. Charles (60174 & 60175), South Elgin (60177), and Valley View (60174).

If you want your child to be considered for our Preschool For All program, please contact the Early Childhood Office at 331-228-4824. We have openings available for the 2025-2026 school year.

NO Playgroups when students are not in session (March 31)

Playgroups at our Haines Family Resource Center offer children, ages 0-5, and a caregiver a safe, quality, and educational play opportunity. Connect with other caregivers (parents, grandparents, babysitters, etc.) to share experiences, learn from each other, and build social networks.

Times:

• 9:35 - 10:35 am
• 12:05 - 1:05 pm Spanish
• 1:05 - 2:05 pm

**There is no fee for this program. Playgroups meet every Monday school is in session. Once you are registered you can attend whenever it works for you.

Your influence on how your child grows and develops is immense. We are proud to partner with you in your child's early learning journey. Making sure your child attends school for the full 2 1/2 hours when they are healthy helps us play our part.

Please contact your child's teacher or Tricia Sabathne, Child and Family Educator (CAFE), if you are experiencing barriers to arriving on time (car riders and walkers) or catching the bus (bus riders) so we can partner regarding possible solutions.

tricia.sabathne@d303.org

331-228-5727

To report a student absence:

• Main Haines building number- 331-228-3400
• Press 1 for the Early Childhood Center
• Press 1 for the Attendance line
• Clearly state your child's name and the reason for their absence.
• If you do not provide a reason for their absence OR do not call the absence will be unexcused.

Bus riders: There is no need to call transportation to report an absence. Drivers stop at each designated stop even when children are absent to stay on schedule for the rest of the route.

Website: https://ec.d303.org/
Location: 305 S 9th St, St Charles, IL 60174
Phone: 331-228-3400, Press 1 for Early Childhood