On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, P.H. Miller Elementary School was honored to host Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin for a visit. Senator Rezin currently serves as the Minority Spokesperson for the Senate Early Childhood Education Committee as well as being a member of the Senate Executive, Education, Energy and Public Utilities, and Health and Human Services committees. Recognized as a local leader in early childhood education in Illinois, P.H. Miller Elementary School is a recipient of the ExceleRate Gold Circle of Quality and Principal Laurel Mateyka was proud to showcase their gold-rated preschool classrooms and playground during the tour. Also known for their developmentally appropriate kindergarten and 1st grade programs, strong community collaboration through PAASSS (Plano Area Alliance Supporting Student Success), and active family involvement, P.H. Miller is often a site that is visited by early childhood educators, leaders, and officials throughout the State and nationally.
During her visit at PH Miller, Senator Rezin began the day with a building tour from Principal Laurel Mateyka including a trip to the preschool playground, the STEM lab, and the library. Senator Rezin’s visit included story time in our library and information about the importance of voting. Students at PH Miller will participate in a mock election to select the name of their mascot, culminating in a celebration on 10/24/24 to announce the Panther’s name.
After the tour, Senator Rezin enjoyed coffee and conversation with Assistant Principal Missy Crisci, Parent Mentor Program Coordinators Doris Alegria and Maribel Ceceñas, Club 88 Parent Organization Executive Board members R.J. Paulik and Michelle Strom, Parent Advisory Committee members Cameron Mueller and Molly McDade, and our Director of Academic Affairs Preschool-Elementary School Faith Skinner. Topics of discussion included preschool expansion, the new Department of Early Childhood, the importance of community collaboration and strong partnerships, and the return on investment of funding early childhood education.
Pictured above, Sherri Rachford and Angelica Nicola (Family Support Workers from P.H. Miller) talk to Senator Rezin about the free playgroups that are offered in the Plano area to families with children under three years old.
Laurel Mateyka, Principal of P.H. Miller Elementary School and CEO/Founder of PAASSS, explained the workforce pipeline that has been created at P.H. Miller by encouraging family involvement and volunteerism at school which often leads to opportunities for paid employment in the school setting. Through strategic, intentional collaboration with our partners, P.H. Miller has been able to address early childhood workforce challenges without increasing the local school district budget. Two examples of partnership initiatives with Western Illinois University include the Parent Engagement Institute that provides paid parent mentors to assist in classrooms at P.H. Miller, and funding from the ECACE scholarship program for a cohort of ten working paraprofessionals who are earning their teaching certification in early childhood education.
Senator Rezin had the opportunity to meet 4 of the 10 working paraprofessionals who currently student teaching in classrooms at P.H. Miller. Pictured from left to right above are Michelle Walz, Yadira Garay, (Senator Sue Rezin), Payton Cullison, and Nikki Pehlke.
In addition to representing Senate District 38, which includes both Kendall and Grundy County, Senator Rezin has been a wish grantor and volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois for over twenty years. For seven years, she served as a Board Member and past Vice President for the Community Foundation of Greater Grundy County to help improve the lives of people in need, childcare, workforce development and land use and preservation. Senator Rezin also served on a local school board, as well as the Board of Directors for We Care of Grundy County, whose purpose is to provide temporary housing and food assistance to the community.
Grundy/Kendall Region 24 is fortunate to have such a strong advocate for early childhood education in Springfield representing the families, schools, and communities in our region. We greatly appreciate Senator Rezin taking time out of her busy schedule to visit PH Miller Elementary School and look forward to hosting all members of the Early Childhood Education Committee in the near future to discuss the benefits and challenges of early childhood education and how districts across the State can maximize funding through strategic, collaborative partnerships like those in place throughout Grundy/Kendall Region 24.