Parents and staff urge District 28 to preserve Young Explorers inclusive early‑childhood program

Dozens of teachers, related‑service staff and parents addressed the Northbrook SD 28 Board of Education on Feb. 25 to urge the district to sustain the Young Explorers early‑childhood program and to find ways to boost enrollment.

The speakers described Young Explorers as an inclusion‑focused preschool that pairs typical peers with at‑risk and special‑education students. “We are here to express our concerns about the trajectory of our program as well as our hope that we can work hand in hand with the district to continue to uphold the beliefs and practices of the Young Explorers,” said Siya Drakoulis, a blended early‑childhood teacher who told the board she has worked in the program for eight years.

Why it matters: Speakers said the program provides related services (speech, occupational therapy, social work), a team of certified teachers, and a structured blended model that families and staff credit with preparing children for kindergarten and improving social‑emotional skills. Parents and staff said the program’s mix of five neurotypical, five at‑risk and five special‑education students (a model used since the program began in 2015) is essential to its effectiveness.

Multiple staff members described the program’s direct services. “Young Explorers has been so lucky to have the support of the board and district. We have been fortunate to have the resources to support all the children in District 28,” said Kelly Breen, a speech‑language pathologist who said she has worked with the program seven years. Katie Schwartzman, a school social worker who said she has worked full time with Young Explorers nine years, described running monthly developmental screenings and serving as a community liaison for families.

Parents gave specific examples of change they attribute to the program: improved speech and social interaction, smoother transitions to kindergarten at Westmore and Greenbrier, and curriculum exposure (one parent said a child learned about Seurat and Monet). Several parents said they moved to the district or adjusted household arrangements to access Young Explorers.

Superintendent Pearson acknowledged the program’s impact and said the district currently has no planned changes for next year. “At this time, there are not any changes planned for our program for next year,” Pearson said, and added the district is concerned about year‑to‑year enrollment variability and the difficulty of maintaining the blended balance across classrooms. She asked families to help recruit prospective students so classrooms can remain balanced between typical, at‑risk and special‑education learners.

Enrollment, scheduling and access were recurring themes. Several parents and staff asked the board to consider expanding hours or otherwise making the short preschool day easier for working families; others urged additional funding. Staff and parents described the program as “resource rich” — including on‑site therapists and a social worker — and asked the board to sustain those resources.

What the board said and next steps: Board members and the superintendent thanked speakers and said they will continue to work with program leaders (Dr. Scullis and Dr. Eberhard, cited by Pearson) to strengthen Young Explorers. No policy change or formal vote affecting the program was proposed or taken at the Feb. 25 meeting.

Meeting context: The public comment period included more than a dozen speakers — Young Explorers teachers, related‑service staff and parents — and occupied the opening segment of the meeting. The board’s public response reiterated support for the program while flagging enrollment as the primary operational challenge.

Looking ahead: The district encouraged families to share program information with neighbors and community networks. District leaders said they will continue monitoring enrollment and exploring ways to keep blended classrooms balanced and to preserve the program’s related services.