Full Time Kindergarten Options in Arlington Heights, IL?

I know it is really hard to make those decisions, and as mothers we really stress over it. I just want to put your mind to ease about a few things:
First of all, Chicago (and area) seems different than the rest of the country (and world) when it comes to schooling. Many of us who grew up in Chicago may have started in one school and transferred to another and another. It's also not that big of a deal to start in parochial and end up in public or vice versa.
Secondly, to go to one school for Kindergarten and transfer into a new school for first isn't as hard on the kid as it is on the mommy. Most kids won't even remember it as traumatic, if we don't make it seem that way.
Thirdly, I have several cousins who went to St. James in Arlington Heights. Some went on to public high school, some Catholic high school, one even sort of skipped high school and went to college. Anyway, all eight of those cousins are extremely successful (2 doctors, 2 lawyers, 2 teachers, 1 college proffessor, 1 journalist) and well adjusted adults now.
Finally, and I mean this kindly, you might be remembering your tough time and worrying about that too much. It is difficult to avoid making our issues into our childrens' issues.
Just remember that kids are resilient. Give your daughter a stable home life and she will be able to adjust to almost anything.
Peace!

We are in the same predicament. Our kids actually go to A Mothers Touch day care right now. Our 4 year old will be in kindergarten next year. Everything that Joy wrote in her response below is accurate. There are two other options though. (1) A Mothers Touch also provides a full-day kindergarten program, and (2) if you want to do the 1/2 day at the local elementary school and the 1/2 day at AMT, AMT would bus both ways to the elementary school, so you could drop and pick up your kid at AMT and don't have to worry about doing CAPS in the morning and AMT in the afternoon (or vice versa). This is a nice option if you have more than 1 kid at AMT and don't want to have to do drop-off (or pick-up) at more than one place (i.e. drop your kindergartener off at the elementary school and your younger child off at AMT). We've been weighing all of these options and have decided that we will likely enroll our son in the full-day kindergarten at AMT. This way he is at one location the entire day and not being bussed back and forth. Also, the way AMT charges, it is cheaper to do a full day of kindergarten with AMT than it is to do a half day at AMT and pay their bus fee. The only part of the whole thing that I don't like is that we are basically paying for another year of daycare! Good luck with your decision. I hate that the local school district doesn't provide a full day option!

Both my daughters went to St. James. My oldest one went to Hersey our public highschool and my youngest one went to Loyola Academy for highschool. They both did very well in highschool. The kids come from many different surrounding schools when they start highschool so it does not matter if they are in private or public. They are all making new friends freshmen year.

My son was in three different grammar schools by the age of 8 (not on purpose I moved across the street or something) At any rate he was fine. Children are very durable.It's middle school that is a little tougher. If you have a situation that works now, enjoy it. Same goes these days for jobs anyway. You don't know when life will change so kind of go with the flow. I know what you mean about having the little one ride with you. I was the same way.

Hi L.,

So if I'm correct, you still live in Chicago, right? Do you know what neighborhood you'll be moving to once you move to Arlington Hts.? There are different districts & different schedules for kindergarten. I've heard of some schools possibly going to full day kindergarten next year that would use both Spanish and English. (English speaking students would be welcomed too.) I live within district 59 and that's the "talk" I've heard~ I think they even had a meeting about this. (THis particular district only has one elementary school in Arlington Hts.) Most of Arlington Hts. is district 25 for elementary schools.

Also, where my kids go, the school has it set up so that the kindergarteners get bussed to a daycare called Mother's Touch in A.H. after their morning kindergarten class is over at 11:55. And if the kindergartener goes to school in the afternoon, then that child gets dropped off by his parents at Mother's Touch in the morning and stays and eats lunch there, and then their bus drops them off at school where there is a staff member waiting for them. (At least that's how it goes at my kids' school.) Then.... that child could stay after school in the CAP program at their school. CAP stands for Children at Play. They provide daycare at the school until 6:00pm

I hope this helps. If you want to know more.... say like the name of my kids' school, you could send me a private message.
*J.