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Kindergarten

A young girl in a white shirt and shorts is playing on a colorful playground equipment surrounded by other children in the background.

Our District is among a handful of public school systems across the nation that offers a play-based curriculum as part of our full-day kindergarten (FDK) program. 

U-46 leaders thoughtfully implemented this hands-on inquiry-based program in 2016 as the District launched full-day kindergarten for more than 2,500 students across our 40 elementary schools and two early childhood centers.

Getting Started

To be eligible to enter kindergarten next fall, children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2026.

Check back here for more information on Early Registration for the 2026-27 school year. 

We want to welcome your incoming kindergarten student to School District U-46...  and encourage you to register when Online Registration opens this winter. You might wonder why U-46 starts kindergarten registration in the winter, but the early start allows us to make plans for staffing and transportation — and start building relationships and sharing important information with incoming families.

As your child's journey in the state’s second-largest school district gets underway, we urge you to look into our award-winning Dual Language program, which is open to incoming kindergarten and 1st grade students.  To learn how to move forward with kindergarten registration, click on the link below.  If you have any questions about registration, please click on “Student Registration” or “Early Learners” in Let’s Talk, our online customer service tool.

Play-Based Kindergarten in U-46

Research supports that children, ages five and six, can best learn through an active exploration of their environment.  This play-based approach features a balance of teacher-directed and child self-initiated activities.  Children learn through playing with real-world materials and situations, movement tied to verbal cues, predictable routines with repetitive language, songs and chants, and more.  In this way, young learners develop the basic building blocks of math and literacy, but they also interact with each other and begin acquiring the social and emotional skills they will need to continue learning.

It is important to remember that all children develop in their own time and expectations must be individualized to meet the child at their level and build a solid base for future learning experiences. Given the right opportunities, all children have the ability to succeed.  However, kindergarten must allow young children time to be young children and through play and appropriate activities develop their knowledge and skills — physical, academic and social.

Our Full Day Kindergarten program features the following elements:

  • Flexible time and space for children to choose activities that are designed for them to work at their own pace without pressure
  • Opportunities for peer collaboration, allowing students to build teamwork skills, whether they are working on a puzzle or creating a work of art together
  • Respectful relationships between teachers and other learners.  We teach and model collaboration among teachers and students and respect for inquiries and discussion

In some instances, a half day kindergarten program might better meet the needs of a family or student.  A parent always has the right to request that option for their child.  The half day option is available at all elementary schools.  A student will receive instruction in literacy and math in the morning before s/he is picked up at lunchtime.  No mid-day transportation is provided.  Interested parents should speak with the building administrator to request the half day kindergarten program.

Our District welcomes our kindergarten families with informational guidelines, a newsletter, videos, and U46Engage sessions designed to help FDK parents learn how to get involved with their child’s educational journey and better navigate the various opportunities offered in U-46, including the opportunity to become bilingual through our renowned dual language program.

Since the 2016 launch, our District leaders have been invited to share our success with our kindergarten program at state and national conferences while also recognizing that we can always improve.  We continue to offer professional development for our educators and administrators to maintain a program that builds a strong foundation and passion for learning.

 

Bilingual Family Engagement Activity Guide

Bilingual Family Engagement Activity Guide - Free Download

The guide is a valuable tool that offers developmentally appropriate daily activities to enhance the skills needed for school readiness.  It's available for print in English and Spanish by the Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL) through the sponsorship of: 

  • ABC Toon Town
  • Alignment Collaborative for Education
  • Associates in Pediatrics, S.C.
  • Birth to Five Illinois
  • Boys & Girls Clubs
  • Centro de Información
  • Child Development Center of Bethlehem Lutheran Church
  • City of Elgin
  • Consumers Credit Union
  • District 300
  • Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley
  • Elgin Community College
  • Elgin Township
  • Gail Borden Public Library District
  • Greater Family Health
  • Kane County Health Department
  • School District U-46
  • Seigle Foundation
  • Summit School, Inc.
  • The Learning Tree Early Learning Center
  • U-46 Educational Foundation
  • United Way of Metro Chicago
  • VNA Health Care
  • Well Child Center
  • YWCA Elgin

Your child's preschool or day care provider may have copies of the calendar to distribute. You can also pick up a copy at Gail Borden, Bartlett, and Poplar Creek Public Libraries and many other locations in the community or download your own copy of the calendar using the links located on the right side of this page.