Lake County Gazette

The Round Lake Area Schools Birth to 5 Program has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate by Parents as Teachers, the highest level of quality and fidelity awarded by the organization. This recognition highlights the program's commitment to serving families and supporting early childhood development.

According to the press release, "Earning this status recognizes the hard work and dedication of our incredible staff and adds to our excitement as we build strong communities, thriving families, and children who are healthy, safe, and learning." The program is now among the top-performing home visiting affiliates within the international Parents as Teachers network.

Parents as Teachers is an early childhood development initiative that provides curricula aimed at preparing children for academic success. The Birth to 5 program in Round Lake uses these resources to help parents serve as their child's first teacher and ensure readiness for preschool or kindergarten.

"In 2025, the Round Lake Area Schools Birth to 5 program completed the Parents as Teachers Quality Endorsement and Improvement Process (QEIP) and earned the highest designation: Blue Ribbon Affiliate status," states the announcement. The QEIP is a comprehensive review conducted every five years to evaluate adherence to organizational standards and service excellence for families.

The statement further explains, "A designation as Blue Ribbon Affiliate affirms that Round Lake implements the evidence-based Parents as Teachers model with fidelity, and that families in the city/county community are positively impacted by the services delivered by this program."

Round Lake Community Unit School District 116 encompasses several schools across Lake County, including Indian Hill Elementary School, Magee Middle School, Pleviak Elementary School, Raymond Ellis Elementary School, Round Lake Beach Elementary School, Round Lake Middle School, Round Lake Senior High School, Village Elementary School, and W.J. Murphy Elementary School. More details can be found on https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

Data from the Illinois State Board of Education indicates that District 116 employs 512 teachers with an average salary of $69,620; women make up about 72 percent of teaching staff while men comprise about 28 percent. There are no teachers in this district with more than ten absences per year according to official records (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Demographically, approximately 77.7 percent of students in District 116 identify as Hispanic; White students represent nearly 12 percent; Black students account for about seven percent; Asian students make up one percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

In terms of financial investment in education, District 116 spent $24,469 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure exceeding $162 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

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