Welcome to the Early Learning Center (ELC), home of the Junior Hawks! The ELC is where District 59’s youngest learners begin their educational journey in a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment that honors each child and inspires curiosity, engagement, growth, and a love of learning. Our preschool program received a Gold Circle of Quality rating, the highest rating from the Illinois State Board of Education. I am honored to be the principal of the Early Learning Center and look forward to serving and supporting our students, families, and staff.

Early childhood is an exciting time in your child’s education, and we want to ensure that these early experiences are positive and rewarding! At the ELC, our students engage in learning experiences and environments that foster student choice, exploration, creative expression, problem-solving, practice of school-readiness skills, and growth across domains (social-emotional, motor, cognitive/language). These hands-on experiences promote the development of the whole child. Students are encouraged to be kind and caring, creative and curious, problem-solvers and risk-takers, and to understand the world around them and their place in it. These experiences help them develop the skills and mindset needed to be capable, confident, and successful learners. 

You are welcome here! We value our family and community partnerships as they are essential to the success of our students and school. We strive to create a supportive, inclusive community and look forward to collaborating with you on behalf of our students to ensure a year filled with learning, excitement, and fun. We invite you to become an active member of our school community.

Wishing you well!

Michele Ramsey
Principal, Early Learning Center 

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