Click here for Board Policy 6:135 - Accelerated Placement

Early Entrance to Kindergarten Requests

Purpose of Early Entrance to Kindergarten

As dictated by Illinois School Code, children enrolling in kindergarten in Bensenville School District 2 must be 5 years of age on or before September 1 of the year they are entering kindergarten.

District 2 recognizes that in select cases, children who demonstrate skills and maturity significantly higher than an average kindergarten student may benefit from beginning kindergarten prior to the typical age of 5. Early entrance to kindergarten is a form of whole-grade acceleration (Board Policy 6:135- Accelerated Placement Program). In order to be considered for early entrance into kindergarten, a student's fifth birthday must fall between September 2 and December 31 of the year they would be entering Kindergarten.

To accommodate these children, the District has outlined specific eligibility guidelines and procedures for early enrollment into kindergarten. Please note that there are no definitive criteria that guarantee a student will succeed in an early entrance environment. Rather, the District will consider several factors and work with families to determine the best choice for the student.

Even children who meet the guidelines for early placement into kindergarten may potentially face challenges stemming from their relative physical, social, or emotional immaturity. For these reasons, District 2 typically screens only a small number of children each year, with only a small number of those qualifying for early entrance.

Early Entrance to Kindergarten Procedures

1. Parents who wish to have a child considered for early entrance to kindergarten must complete an Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten form including a parent questionnaire. An additional questionnaire is also filled out by the child’s current preschool teacher if enrolled in a preschool program.

Click here for the Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten Program Parent Questionnaire.

Click here for the Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten Program Preschool Teacher Questionnaire.

2. Parents must return the forms along with a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate to the school office by May 15. This deadline includes any families that may move into the District after this date. This deadline is necessary for the planning of class sections and securing the amount of staff needed to meet the needs of all students.
    
3. After turning in the completed forms to the school office prior to May 15, the parents will be contacted by the office staff to make an appointment to meet with the principal of the school the child will attend to discuss potential early entrance.
    
4. District 2 will administer an initial screening exam. Parents will receive feedback on the test results. The District will use the following portions of the Illinois Snapshots of Early Literacy (ISEL) and the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) assessments to gather the early screener data:
    
   1. Early Literacy: Comprehension of Kindergarten-ready text, letter-name recognition, letter-sound correspondence, phonological awareness, and emergent writing skills
   2. Math: Number sense (oral counting), number sense (object counting) add and subtract small quantities of objects, and knowledge of shapes and characteristics
       
5. The Director of Teaching & Learning, the school principal, the MTSS & Assessment Coordinator, and the Curriculum Coordinator will serve as the Early Entrance Request Team that will consider the completed surveys and assessments, and will then make a determination as to readiness. 
    
6. After completion of the testing, parents will receive a phone call from the MTSS & Assessment Coordinator to review the test results and discuss eligibility. Please know that if the request is denied, the data will be shared with your child’s current teacher to ensure that they are challenged based on their current levels.
7. The early entrance team will issue the final decision.

No fees are charged for registration or field trips.

Items at additional costs include:

Elementary School

• Chromebook Repair Fee 

Middle School

• Gym Uniform
• School Supplies (Calculator, Student agenda, lanyard, and ID)
• Chromebook Repair Fee 

Pay for school fees online

You can pay school fees online at www.bsd2.org/fees. We accept Discover, Mastercard, or Visa. RevTrak, a national credit card payment processor, provides you the simple security and convenience of making online payments for your food service, athletic fees, and more—all in one location. You will need your Student ID number to set up an account.

Click here to visit the BSD2 Web Store.

Waiver of Fees

Families may be eligible to have fees waived if any of the following conditions are met:

• The student's household meets the same income guidelines that are used for the federal free meals program.
• A parent or guardian is a veteran or active-duty personnel with income below a certain guideline.
• The student is homeless.
• The family can otherwise establish an inability to afford payment of the fees.

Application forms for student fee waivers are available in the principal’s office, and are linked below:

Click here for the English fee waiver form.

Click here for the Spanish fee waiver form.

Completed forms should be submitted to the principal. Any inquiries should be directed to the principal of your child’s school. The use of false information to obtain a waiver is a felony under Illinois law.

If Your Child Will NOT Be Returning Next Year

If your child will not be returning to Bensenville School District 2 next year, please complete the moving form below, and we will then prepare your child’s transfer paperwork and send it home in the last week of school.

Click here for the Moving Form.

Physical Examinations

Physical examinations are required for all children entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and sixth grade. Bring your child’s completed State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination Form to the health office by the first day of school.

Click here for the State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination Form.

Click here for the State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination Form (Spanish).

This exam form must be dated within one year prior to the first day of school. It must also be completed and signed by a licensed healthcare provider, and it must include a diabetes screening and lead screening for children who are 6 years old or younger. A tuberculosis (TB) skin test is recommended.

Vision Examinations

The state requires that students entering kindergarten present proof to the school of having had a vision examination. Students transferring from out of state, regardless of grade, are required to have an eye examination. Please return the Eye Examination Report to your child’s school.

Click here for the Eye Examination Report.

Click here for the Eye Examination Report (Spanish).

Dental Examinations

The state requires that students entering kindergarten, second, and sixth grades present proof to the school of having been examined by a dentist. Please return the Proof of School Dental Examination Form to your child's school. 

Click here for the Proof of School Dental Examination Form.

Click here for the Proof of School Dental Examination Form (Spanish).

Click here for Physical, Vision & Dental Examination Forms.

Your child must meet certain health requirements under Illinois law. These laws are adopted to protect your child’s health and the health of the entire community.

Exams must be conducted within one year prior to the student entering the grade level. A completed “State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination'' form must be submitted to the school's health office by the first day of school. Students will be excluded from school until their required health forms are presented to the District.

• Health Requirements by Grade Level - English
• Health Requirements by Grade Level - Spanish
• Health Requirements by Grade Level - Polish

The required examinations and immunizations are:

• Pre-School: (1) Health examination on the appropriate state form, including screening for lead, TB and diabetes. (2) Proof of updated immunizations. Your health care provider should review the immunization records to ensure the required immunizations are up to date.
   
• Kindergarten: (1) Health examination on the appropriate state form, including screening for lead, TB and diabetes. (2) Proof of updated immunizations. (3) Proof of Dental exam. (4) Proof of Vision exam. Your health care provider should review the immunization records to ensure the required immunizations are up to date.
   
• First Grade: No new items needed unless you have been notified by the school health office. If attending a public school for the first time, students must present proof of: (1) Health examination on the appropriate state form, including screening for TB and diabetes. (2) Proof of updated immunizations. (3) Proof of Dental exam. (4) Proof of Vision exam. Your health care provider should review the immunization records to ensure the required immunizations are up to date.
   
• Second Grade: Proof of Dental Exam. No other items needed unless you have been notified by the school health office.
   
• Third, Fourth and Fifth Grades: No new items needed unless you have been notified by the school health office.
   
• Sixth Grade: (1) Health examination on the appropriate state form including screening for TB and diabetes. (2) Proof of updated immunizations. (3) Proof of Dental exam.   Your health care provider should review the immunization records to ensure the required immunizations are up to date.
   
• Seventh and Eighth Grades: No new items needed unless you have been notified by the school health office.

• Transfer students: Proof of required child health examination on the appropriate state form and proof of updated immunizations within 7 days of registration.  Proof of a vision exam is required of all students entering an Illinois school for the first time.
   
• Sports:  Students participating in sports need to have a yearly sports physical (IHSA forms are available from the coach, school nurse or your doctor). The sports physical is not acceptable as the required child health examination form required for enrollment, but the required health examination form is acceptable for both mandated requirement and sports if the area interscholastic sports is marked yes.

Click here for the sports physical form.

If you have any questions or need resources, please contact the health office at your child's school for information.

Health Examination & Immunization Data

On or before December 1 of each year, the school district makes publicly available the immunization data they are required to submit to the State Board of Education by November 15. Immunization data made publicly available must be identical to the data the school district or school has reported to the State Board of Education.

Click here for the District's latest health examination and immunization data.