School District U-46’s Early Learner Initiatives department, which serves nearly 1,600 children each year through accessible, high-quality preschool programming, won in the “Creating a Difference” category at the annual Elgin Image Awards on Oct. 20.

The Image Awards recognize outstanding individuals, businesses, and organizations making a powerful difference in Elgin. Awards are presented by the Enhancing Elgin Committee and organized by the Elgin Development Group and the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Early Learner team was praised for expanding the district’s preschool sites into neighborhood schools, championing educational equity, and helping area families through developmental screenings and robust caregiver support – all efforts toward realizing the school district’s strategic plan goal of building early academic and social-emotional foundations for the community’s youngest learners.

“The Maasai people in Africa greet one another with the phrase ‘and how are the children,’ and the standard reply is ‘the children are all well,’” said Early Learner Initiatives Director Katie Cox, who accepted the Elgin Image Award on behalf of her team. “This exchange reflects that the community’s priorities are properly maintained. I assure you that in Elgin, we will continue to work hard to ensure that all the children are well and thriving.”

It has been a remarkable year for the Early Learner Initiatives team, as each U-46 preschool site also earned top state honors—Gold and Silver Circles of Quality from the Illinois Department of Early Childhood. This Illinois state recognition gives families important information about the quality preschool programs in their community.

For the current 2026-27 school year, the Early Learner team shifted more preschool classrooms into neighborhood schools, resulting in 26 U-46 schools now welcoming preschool families, compared to 15 last year. This makes early learning more convenient for families who had difficulty transporting their children to a school outside of their neighborhood. It also helps children and caregivers form relationships with their future school communities before kindergarten begins.

“The lasting legacy of the Early Learner Initiatives team will be measured in generations,” said U-46’s Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Lela Majstorovic. “By giving children a positive start to their educational journey, the team helps cultivate the confidence, curiosity, and love of learning that can support them throughout school and into adulthood. When the community invests in its youngest learners, it invests in the region's future strength and success.”

Families interested in learning more about U-46’s free preschool options should visit u-46.org/preschool.