Community Consolidated School District 89 Preschool provides programs for 3- and 4-year-old children who reside within the CCSD 89 boundaries.  

The half-day preschool programs are housed at Briar Glen Elementary School, 1800 Briarcliffe Blvd., Wheaton. There is a specialized preschool classroom at Arbor View Elementary, and a CCSD 89 Head Start classroom at Westfield Elementary School.

Learn more in the CCSD 89 Preschool Program brochure.

The district offers preschool for children with and without special needs. Also known as a blended or inclusive program, the district's tuition-based preschool educates children with special needs alongside their typically developing peers.

Each classroom is staffed with a certified early childhood teacher and at least one teaching assistant. The support staff at CCSD 89 preschool also includes an occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, social worker, and English-learners instructor.  

CCSD 89 believes that preschool children learn best in a program that:

• Is language-based and utilizes thematic units;
• Strives to meet the needs of all children through differentiated instruction;
• Is developmentally based and provides instruction that proceeds through the sequence of development;
• Utilizes a team approach;
• Is warm and nurturing and encourages experimentation and risk-taking;
• Prepares children for continued school success and positive personal relationships; and
• Works with parents as partners.

CCSD 89 preschool is a language- and literacy-based preschool program. The district's program uses the research-based and research-proven Creative Curriculum. The Creative Curriculum helps the district create a high-quality learning environment that enables every child to become a creative, confident thinker. A typical day at CCSD 89 preschool might include a variety of the activities and centers listed here:

• Circle time
• Music         
• Gym
• Library
• Snack
• Story time
• Discovery
• Sensory play
• Art
• Toys and games
• Dramatic play
• Outdoor play
• Free choice
• Snack

Preschool programming

The CCSD 89 multi-age preschool program is for 3- and 4-year-old children. This multi-age grouping resembles family and neighborhood groupings and has been proven to benefit both older and younger students. The 3/4 Program is available in the morning and afternoon. The morning session meets from 8:30 to 11:10 a.m. and the afternoon session meets from 12:30 to 3:10 p.m. The 3/4 program offers a rich variety of experiences in emergent literacy, communication, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and social-emotional learning. The children learn through thematic learning centers, hands-on activities, and play.