Crete-Monee District 201-U Pioneers State-Backed Kindergarten Readiness Program

Crete-Monee School District 201-U Meeting | March 16, 2026

Article Summary: Crete-Monee School District 201-U showcased its early learning initiatives and play-based instruction alignment, highlighting a strong partnership with the state and an $85,000 grant to serve as a model for other schools.

Kindergarten Readiness Key Points:

• The district has partnered with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to implement the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) framework.

• Crete-Monee received approximately $85,000 in state funding to support model learning environments and professional development.

• Nine “spotlight” kindergarten teachers have opened their classrooms to extensive coaching and observation to refine developmentally appropriate, play-based practices.

• The district is currently hosting other school districts, including Chicago Public Schools, who wish to observe the successful program.

The Crete-Monee School District 201-U Board of Education on Monday, March 16, 2026, received high praise from state educational leaders for pioneering a comprehensive early childhood learning and kindergarten readiness program that is now serving as a model for the rest of Illinois.

Dr. Ghantel Perkins, Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Teaching and Learning, and Sandra Ehrat, an ISBE Regional Office of Education 51 KIDS Program Coach, presented a detailed update on the district’s implementation of play-based, developmentally appropriate instruction for pre-K and kindergarten students.

Ehrat informed the board that the State of Illinois is currently preparing to mandate developmentally appropriate practices and play-based instruction for early learners. Because Crete-Monee proactively began aligning its pre-K and kindergarten instruction several years ago, the district is substantially ahead of the curve.

“You are a unique district where you are going pre-K through 12th grade, and so the state has now decided that it is time to put into law that this developmentally appropriate practice and play-based instruction [is required],” Ehrat told the board. “Your district started this years before the actual mandate. So you are ahead of most districts in the state of Illinois.”

Recognizing Crete-Monee’s progress, the state awarded the district approximately $85,000 in funding. According to the presentation materials, the money supports model learning environments, materials aligned to play-based instruction, and collaboration with the ISBE KIDS coaching team.

A significant portion of the initiative relies on nine brave “spotlight” kindergarten teachers who volunteered to open their classrooms for extensive weekly coaching and observation. Ehrat and district instructional coaches have spent significant time in these classrooms, helping educators embed the KIDS framework—which evaluates social and emotional development, language, and cognitive skills—into daily routines.

“Professional development alone is not enough. It is that instructional coaching and that seeing that being embedded on a daily basis that is going to lead to those positive outcomes,” Ehrat explained, noting that strong early foundations directly correlate with improved third-grade state assessment scores.

The district’s proactive approach has transformed it into a destination for other educational professionals. Ehrat noted that multiple districts, including representatives from Chicago Public Schools, have requested to visit Crete-Monee to observe the program in action.

“You are the talk of the state right now,” Ehrat told the board. “Districts are wanting to come see and have conversations about what is happening in your district and how you made it work.”

The collaboration extends to the Board of Education itself. Board President Maurice Brown serves on the statewide KIDS committee, making Crete-Monee the only district in Illinois to have board-level representation on the state panel.

“We are starting to see that the parent education piece is key,” Brown noted during the discussion. “We need to start reaching our students early… This is a game-changer in my opinion.”