Addison Early Learning Center

• Must be a resident in Addison School District 4 attendance boundaries.
• Children must go through a Preschool Screening and be found eligible for a program.
• Eligibility is based on academic, financial and at-risk factors.

Thank you for inquiring about the Preschool Program at the Addison Early Learning Center (AELC). The program at the AELC is an at-risk program. The focus of the preschool program is to make all students kindergarten ready in all areas of their lives: Social-Emotional, Physical, Language, Literacy and Mathematics. We offer 2 different programs: 

 Preschool 4 all – Ages 3-5. This program runs 5 days a week and is half day. 

 Preschool Expansion – Ages 4-5. This program runs 5 days a week and is full day. Families must meet at-risk requirements to be eligible. 

Children must go through Preschool Screenings and be found eligible based on at risk-factors. We use the DIAL-4 for screening. 

The DIAL-4 test consists of 3 parts:

1. Concepts - includes following directions. Your child may be asked to move the blue block in front of the red block.

2. Motor Skills - includes jumping and skipping. Make sure your child wears comfortable shoes. Flip-flops may cause a problem.

3. Language - includes general conversation with a speech teacher. Your child may be asked a question like "What does a plane do?"

The Dial-4 test is done by trained school personnel and it can take up to 60 minutes.

Motor

Gross Motor items screened include catching, jumping, hopping and skipping. Fine Motor items include building with blocks, cutting copying shapes and letters and name writing.

Language

Your child will be asked simple personal questions (name, age, and gender), articulation, naming or identifying objects and actions, and rhyming.

Concepts

Children will be asked to point to named body parts, name and identify colors, count blocks, place a block in named positions relative to a model house, and sorting shapes.

Self-Help Development

Screens the child's development of personal care skills related to dressing, eating and grooming. Social Development Looks at the child's development of social skills with other children and parents, including rule compliance, sharing, self-control, and empathy

The Addison School District #4 offers free developmental screenings for preschool children. The evaluation process focuses on speech and language development, thinking and logic reasoning, motor coordination small and big, listening, vision and hearing, and other academic preparation and skills. The purpose of the evaluation is to answer any questions parents might have about their child's development and to identify the children that need preschool services. The process is done by a team of professionals and it can take up to two hours. The children are evaluated by doing a series of games with teachers. Questions from parents relating to the development of the child are made. The evaluations are conducted throughout the school year. Referrals can be made by parents, family members, doctors, childcare facilities like day cares or other agencies. No child is evaluated without the consent of the parents.
 

To schedule an appointment:

• Fill out the following Google Form or call the AELC Preschool hotline at (630) 458-3051.