On November 15th, a team from CM 201-U attended the ISBE KIDS Summit in Bloomington-Normal at Illinois State University. Our group joined early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, school and district administrators, KIDS coaches, and partners for the 8th Annual Mastering KIDS Summit. This event provided an opportunity to network and gain valuable insights from experts and peers across the state, offering practical strategies for the classroom.

Our staff had the opportunity to present on the district’s Pre-to-K Project, which addressed several key topics. These included promoting a shared vision of collaboration between PreK and Kindergarten teachers, adopting a systems-based approach to align instructional practices, and developing teacher collaboration and capacity-building strategies. Our district was one of only three selected by the Illinois State Board of Education to participate in the new Pre-to-K Project to ensure a smooth transition to Kindergarten from the Pre-K Project pilot teams. The presenters included Maurice Brown, CM 201-U Board President; Ghantel Perkins, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning; Kelly Chesta, Director of the Early Learning Center; Debbie Caserio, Instructional Coach; and Dr. Sarah Machamer, OTL Coordinator.