Lake County Gazette

Coal City Early Childhood Center has welcomed preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students back for the start of the new school year. The classrooms have been prepared to offer a safe and supportive setting aimed at helping young learners develop key skills.

Teachers and staff at the center are set to guide children through lessons and activities tailored to their needs. The faculty looks forward to working with both new and returning students throughout the year.

“Thank you for trusting us to be part of your child’s educational journey. We are excited to get started and see all the wonderful progress ahead,” said Assistant Principal Rebecca Pendergast.

Coal City Early Childhood Center is one of several schools in Coal City Community Unit School District 1, which serves Grundy and Will counties. Other schools in the district include Coal City Elementary School, Coal City High School, Coal City Intermediate School, and Coal City Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

The district employs 153 teachers with an average salary of $69,297 before pension contributions. Most teachers—77.9 percent—are women, while 22.1 percent are men. According to recent data from the Illinois State Board of Education, none of these teachers had more than ten absences in a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Student demographics in Coal City Community Unit School District 1 show that 86.9 percent are White, 0.6 percent Black, 9.6 percent Hispanic, and 0.6 percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In 2020, the district spent $21,619 per student for a total expenditure of $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).