Downers Grove District 58 officially expands all-day kindergarten to all schools

DOWNERS GROVE – The Downers Grove School District 58 Board of Education recently approved the implementation of the Optional Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program at all of the district's elementary schools starting next school year.

Parents of incoming kindergartners can either enroll their child in the traditional half-day kindergarten or in OKEEP, which includes an additional instructional period in the afternoon. Enrolling in Optional Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program will cost $2,450 for the year.

The district has piloted the all-day program at five schools this year: El Sierra, Henry Puffer, Highland, Indian Trail and Kingsley.

"We are really pleased that we were able to make this option available to all families next school year," Superintendent Kari Cremascoli said during the Board of Education's March 14 meeting. "This is a unique program that we are able to offer."

As part of fully implementing the program, the district will make special considerations for students at Lester School, which does not have enough room to accommodate all of its students in OKEEP.

Lester kindergarten students enrolled in Enrolling in Optional Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program will attend Belle Aire School, with the district providing free busing.

Once a Lester student is enrolled at Belle Aire, even if parents choose to move that student into the half-day program, the student will still need to attend kindergarten at Belle Aire.

However, if less than 36 students enroll in half-day kindergarten at Lester, the school will hold a lottery to select students for one Lester OKEEP class. The lottery would be weighted to give students with siblings already attending Lester a better chance of being selected.

Several Lester parents with incoming kindergartners attended the meeting and asked the district to look for a long-term solution that would allow Lester to fully host OKEEP.

Board member Sallie Ann Lupescu said there may be some additional funds available in the 2017-18 school year that would allow the district to either expand Lester or redraw school boundaries to even out the school populations.

Kindergarten registration has already started and will be open until May 13.