Full Day Kindergarten Coming to District 41

In June 2023, the Board of Education voted to move forward with the planning process necessary to build an addition at Churchill School that will provide space to offer full day kindergarten to District 41 students. The addition will include 12 classrooms and will serve all full day kindergarten students across the district. Families will still have the option to choose half day kindergarten at their home schools. This work has been ongoing for the past 16 years through conversations, committees, and studies on this topic. The timing of this project is significant as the Governor signed a bill that will require school districts to offer full day kindergarten by the 2027-28 school year. The district will continue to provide information about the planning process with regular reports to the Board of Education and the community in the coming months.  

Message to the Community from Board President Dr. Robert Bruno -May 2023 
With another school year ending, I wanted to provide an update on the steps the D41 School Board has taken to further explore opportunities for providing full-day kindergarten (FDK) for all children. After the fall referendum failed, the Board met to discuss and reconfirm its commitment to the community to continue looking for a viable way to provide FDK to every student. D41 is one of only four school districts in DuPage County that offers only a half-day kindergarten program. In February, the Board authorized its architect of record to conduct a feasibility study on using District reserve funds to build a FDK program.  Our current elementary schools lack the space to accommodate a universal FDK program. Two options were approved. The first was to build a FDK Center on the Churchill Elementary campus that would provide modern instructional space for all kindergarten students.  The Board successfully purchased property behind Churchill with the purpose of expanding its early learning instruction.  Option two was to build a 5th grade wing onto Hadley Junior High School. Under this scenario, all district 5th grade students would attend classes on the Hadley campus, thereby opening space in each elementary school for FDK.  Additionally, the Board requested a district-wide facilities study to examine whether it was possible to pursue other capital projects with reserve funds to address additional classroom space needs. Depending on the studies’ findings and District recommendation, the Board will consider the most appropriate step forward. My Board colleagues and I recognize the community’s strong and enduring support for FDK for all.  We unanimously share that belief in FDK and have dedicated our efforts to fulfill the community’s aspiration.

Dr. Robert Bruno
President, District 41 Board of Education