Preschool

Sacred Heart’s play-based program encourages curiosity and discovery while fostering close bonds between children and teachers.

Our newly renovated preschool is conveniently located just off Lake Shore Drive in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood and features a full-sized gymnasium and adjacent outdoor play space, as well as ample parking and easy drop-off and pick-up.

Pre-Kindergarten for 3-year-old children is a nurturing first-school experience that encourages children to discover, create and learn through purposeful play.

Junior Kindergarten for 4-year-old children continues the joyful environment of pre-kindergarten. This cognitively rich experience builds upon children’s growing curiosity and confidence, empowers them with fundamental skills and creates a smooth transition to senior kindergarten.

Preschool is the first step in a seamless Sacred Heart education that will take your child through eighth grade. No further admissions process is required for senior kindergarten.

Highlights of the Preschool Program

Tranquil Transitions

Open Exploration & Center Time

Morning Meeting

Co-Curriculars

Spanish

Spanish is taught to the preschool children twice a week. Spanish classes are engaging and developmentally appropriate classes where children learn language through songs, games, puppets, books and props. Language is also sprinkled throughout the day while they are playing at the playground or learning in their classroom centers. Students learn basic vocabulary such as greetings, emotions, colors, numbers, body parts and animals.

Music

Children at the preschool engage in musical activities throughout the day, and there is formally one music class a week. The focus in music class is to introduce the basics of music in a natural way, especially singing and playing age appropriate instruments. Singing is an important part of a preschooler’s development. In music class, students are introduced to pitch matching while singing new and familiar songs while keeping with the themes being learned in their classrooms. Preschoolers are also introduced to rhythm and levels of beat while playing on pitched and unpitched percussion instruments using simple rhythm patterns.

Yoga

Preschool children participate in Yoga once a week at Sacred Heart. Yoga is a great activity to do with children that helps calming the mind and stretching and strengthening their body. Yoga helps children experiment with breath, stillness and self-regulation while the physical poses assist in building gross and fine motor skills, coordination, balance and strength. Children use a yoga program developed for children that is fun and engaging and focuses on telling stories through yoga poses.

Outdoor Classroom

Sensory Exploration

Rest Time

Rest time is a part of the school day for full-day students in preschool. Preschool students will generally have 1.5 hours of rest. Although some children may no longer nap daily, there is still a quiet period scheduled every day. The lights will be turned off, shades closed, soft music played in the background, and books of interest placed under the child’s cot, if needed.

Easy Pick-up & Drop-off

Maureen Rutkowski
Preschool Director

EXPLORE CAMPUS

Preschool Hours

Drop-Off
7:30 - 8:20 am

Half-Day Program
8:20 - 11:30 am

Full-Day Program
8:20 am - 3:00 pm
8:20 am - 2:15 pm on Fridays

Pick-Up
3:00 - 3:30 pm
2:15 - 2:45 pm on Fridays

Optional Extended Day
3:30 - 6 pm

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