$5.8M Renovation Allows Full-Day Kindergarten At All D-39 Schools

WILMETTE, IL — Following $5.8 million in scheduled construction work over the summer, Wilmette School District 39 administrators plan to offer a full-day kindergarten program at all four of the district's elementary schools starting in the fall.

The Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program, dubbed KEEP39, adds to the half-day kindergarten instruction offered by the district.

The KEEP39 program launched in fall 2020 with more than 50 students at Central and Harper elementary schools and a fee of $6,460 per student, with fee waivers available for qualifying families.

The program will be available to students at McKenzie and Romona elementary schools for the 2021-22 school year after board members approved bids from contractors for $3.4 million in renovations at McKenzie and $2.36 million in work at Romona.

“We are so pleased that the Board of Education supports expanding KEEP39 and we look forward to being able to offer this option to all our kindergarten families in the upcoming school year,” Superintendent Kari Cremascoli said in a statement.

“This year has been challenging on many levels. This program provides our youngest learners additional support and opportunities at school and is connected to District 39’s robust academic kindergarten program.”

McKenzie is slated to get an expanded cafeteria with a new roof, add three classrooms and an office space, enlarge one classroom, renovate an existing office area and convert another classroom to a kindergarten room.

Romona is scheduled to get two additional classrooms, a renovated kindergarten classroom and four new conference rooms near the main entrance, according to a memo from Cremascoli.

District officials said the bids wound up coming in lower than expected, saving the district about $1 million.

Work on the buildings is anticipated to be complete by the start of the next school year. Administrators expect to have more than 75 percent of students opting for the full-day kindergarten program.

According to administrators, parents whose students enrolled in the first year of the district's KEEP39 program, which is led by certified kindergarten teachers, recommend it. More information about the afternoon kindergarten enrichment program is available from the district.

Watch more from District 39 Feb. 22, 2020, board meeting »