Early Childhood Center

185 Students

Pre Kindergarten Pre-K - Pre-K

School Overview

The Early Childhood Center, located at 3519 Wilcox Ave in Bellwood, Illinois, serves as a foundational educational facility dedicated to the developmental needs of the community’s youngest learners. As part of the Bellwood School District 88 network, the center focuses on providing a nurturing environment designed to foster early cognitive, social, and emotional growth. By prioritizing play-based learning and age-appropriate curriculum, the school aims to prepare children for a smooth and successful transition into primary education.

Beyond academics, the center acts as a supportive hub for families in the Bellwood area, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and foundational skill-building. The facility is equipped to provide students with their first structured exposure to a classroom setting, focusing on core readiness skills such as socialization, language development, and basic literacy and numeracy. Through its dedicated staff and targeted programming, the Early Childhood Center plays a vital role in establishing a strong trajectory for student achievement from the very beginning of their academic journeys.

185

Total Students

8.0

Full-Time Teachers

23.1

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Early Childhood Center
Demographic	Student Count
White	7
Hispanic	69
Black	107
American Indian	2

Black
107 (57.8 %)
Hispanic
69 (37.3 %)
White
7 (3.8 %)
American Indian
2 (1.1 %)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Pre Kindergarten
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Bellwood SD 88
Phone:	(708)410-3700
Grade Range:	Pre-K - Pre-K
Total Students:	185
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	8.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	23.1
NSLP Participation:¹	No
Qualified Free Lunch:	N/A
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	N/A

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 185