Frequently Asked Questions

It is not necessary for children to attend preschool before coming to Sacred Heart, although most of our applicants attend a nursery or daycare program. We do not give admission preference to children from a particular school or group of schools. This year’s kindergarten class is made up of children from many different preschools and daycare programs. Students who transfer into the older grades are drawn from public, parochial and independent schools throughout the city and suburbs. Children come to Sacred Heart from a variety of circumstances, and the Admissions Committee considers each child as an individual.

Children must be 5 years old when they enter kindergarten. Exceptions to the September 1 cutoff are rare.

We do not feel that all children with summer birthdays should wait an extra year to enter kindergarten. However, many children do benefit from the social and developmental growth that additional time in preschool allows, and every year, at the conclusion of the admissions process, we ask a number of families to consider this option. In deciding whether to move forward with kindergarten or hold back, we advise families to consult carefully with their preschool teachers, who know their students well and can provide helpful insight into the issue.

Students graduate from Sacred Heart at the close of 8th grade, so we are especially cautious in admitting new students at this level. The Admissions Committee must be convinced that a new 8th grader will make an exceptionally smooth transition to the Schools. New students who are accepted are most often from families moving into the Chicago area and not transfers from local schools. Students transferring from other Sacred Heart Network schools are often strong candidates.

We are happy to accept references, but find they play little role in the admissions process. If you choose to submit reference letters, please limit them to one or two. We want to be very clear that it is not necessary or even desirable for prospective families to support the Schools’ fundraising efforts in order to gain admission to Sacred Heart. Instead, we encourage applicant families to support their current schools to the extent their personal circumstances allow. We realize some prospective parents may want to attend a school event as a way of getting a better sense of our community to determine if Sacred Heart might be a good fit for their family. We are happy to have parents evaluate us in this way; however, event attendance plays no role in the admissions process and is never noted in applicant files.

We look for a range of development appropriate to each child’s age. While the assessment includes activities like alphabet, number and color recognition, it also includes movement, drawing, playing with puzzles, and building with blocks. We also love to just talk with children about their families, their schools and their favorite things! Preschoolers present a range of skills. Two children of the same age can present different combinations of knowledge and abilities, and both can be completely appropriate developmentally.

What we hope to discover in our meeting with a young applicant is a sense that he or she is on a path to come into our Kindergarten program ready to engage and learn.

While we prefer to conduct the assessments on a one-to-one basis, we recognize that this may not be the optimal environment for every child; even a child who normally embraces new situations may not be feeling well or may be having an "off" day. Under circumstances like these, it can be soothing for the child to have a parent in the assessment room until they become comfortable enough to separate. We have set up our assessment area so that parents can sit just outside the room where the assessment takes place. We have found that this arrangement is often satisfying and comfortable for children during the assessment.

It is not recommended that children be “coached” before an assessment. Again, we are primarily interested in development, not knowledge base. It is useful, however, to prepare your child for the meeting in a way that will help make him or her feel relaxed. You may say that he/she will meet with a “teacher” for some fun activities or games. Please let them know they will be visiting a "house" and not the school where the children are. It is not recommended that children be “surprised” by the meeting. Experience has taught us that most children do not handle this kind of surprise well.

Assessments are only one part of a multi-step admissions process. We understand that we cannot get a complete picture of a child from a single meeting. This is why the admissions process goes on to include a preschool observation and a teacher recommendation. These three “snap shots” allow us to reflect on each child from a variety of perspectives. If you feel the need for specific feedback, we ask that you contact the Director of Admissions after all steps in the application process are complete.

The Admissions Office is responsible for gathering information about each applicant and family and presenting a completed applicant file to the Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee—comprised of the Director of Admissions, the Head of Schools, Director of Institutional Advancement, the relevant Division Head and selected faculty —reviews each applicant file and makes a recommendation to the Head of Schools regarding admission. The final authority to admit or deny an applicant rests solely with the Head of Schools.

Sacred Heart is firmly committed to our school families and so siblings are given preference for admission. Children and grandchildren of alumnae/i also receive careful consideration for admission, although acceptance is not automatic for any applicant. Finally, the Admissions Committee looks favorably on students from other Sacred Heart Network schools whose families are transferring into the Chicago area.

The Admissions Committee believes in looking at applicants holistically and evaluates multiple factors for admission. However, report cards play an important role, especially for children looking to enter the upper grade levels. Students with A’s and B’s in core subject areas are more likely to make successful candidates than students with C’s and D’s, unless mitigating factors are present. An interested family with concerns about their child’s report card should always feel free to call the Director of Admissions for a confidential conversation prior to application.