Wehde offers a blended learning environment where general and special education students engage in learning together, which is consistent with a traditional elementary school classroom setting. Early childhood classes consist of morning and afternoon sessions. Our AM and PM sessions consist of students ages 3-5 years old.

• Morning classes serve 3- to 5-year-olds and meet from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. 
• Afternoon classes serve 3- to 5-year-olds and meet from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Services for English Learners  

Wehde offers a transitional bilingual education program and a transitional program of instruction for students who qualify for English Learner services. Wehde educators can provide both bilingual classroom services and English as a Second Language classes for students who speak another language in their home and who qualify through a second language screening process.

Special Education Program

District 47's special education preschool program is designed to provide individualized educational services for children with special needs. Children with any of the following disabilities, ranging from mild to severe, may be enrolled in this program through the evaluation and Multidisciplinary Education Conference (MDEC) process: visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical/health impairments, speech/language impairments, specific learning disability, behavioral/emotional disorders, mental impairments, multiple impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, and developmental delay. All evaluation and special education services identified through the MDEC and IEP process are provided at no cost to parents, including bus service.

If you have concerns regarding your preschooler's development, please call 815.477.6968 to begin the screening process. You will be sent a packet of information to complete and return to gather initial information about your child's development. If your child is under 3 years of age, please contact the Child & Family Connections division at Options & Advocacy. For more information, call 815.477.4720 or visit www.optionsandadvocacy.org. Preschool or daycare providers who wish to report concerns about a child's development may fill out and submit the form below. D47 preschool screening form

Speech and Language Services

District 47's Speech and Language Therapy program is designed for preschool children with speech and language development deficits. These areas may include vocabulary, syntax, sound production, voice, and/or fluency.

The preschool speech and language therapy program provides speech and language services to children in a small group setting. The group, typically comprised of four students, meets twice a week for 60 minutes. The last 10 minutes of this hour are used for parent consultation and to provide home activities and suggestions. Each child's individual speech and language goals are addressed through thematic whole language-based units.

Note: This program is not designed to address significant deficits in cognitive, motor (fine or gross), personal/social, or behavioral development. Children should generally be able to attend well to a variety of structured activities, including storytime, and to transition independently in a small group situation.

Diagnostic and Screening Services

District 47 offers free screening services for children 3-5 years of age as a means to assist parents in sorting concerns or questions they may have regarding their child's development. A screening is not a comprehensive or in-depth evaluation. Instead, it is intended to assist in ruling out certain concerns or providing direction for further investigation. If any areas are identified as a concern, parents will be offered ideas, suggestions, and/or recommendations, including possible further evaluation. Suppose an evaluation suggests a child may be in need of formal developmental support. In that case, a variety of services are provided through District 47's early childhood special education program, including speech and language therapy and preschool developmental classrooms. A Multidisciplinary Educational Conference (MDEC) will then take place to determine if a child qualifies for services to address their needs.

Extended School Year

Extended School Year (ESY) services are provided to qualifying students with special education needs. The extended school year typically starts in early June and lasts approximately five weeks. ESY services are intended to prevent significant regression in a child's development prior to the start of the following school year and include developmental programs, as well as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, or a combination of these services. Transportation is provided. 

Compliance and Eligibility

In accordance with the requirements of federal and state regulations, most notably the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its 2004 amendments, public school districts throughout Illinois are required to provide educational programming for preschool-age children (3-5 years of age) who are determined to have a disability which adversely affects educational performance and requires special educational services. Determination of the existence of a disability and the need for special education services is accomplished by conducting a "full and individual" evaluation and considering all relevant information at a Multidisciplinary Educational Conference (MDEC). The MDEC is attended by relevant evaluators, parents, any past service providers, and representatives of Wehde's early childhood program.