New on Ickly
Be the one who starts First Steps Preschool's health circle
No reports here yet, which means no early warnings either. Every school on Ickly starts with one parent, and that parent could be you. Rally your parent crew, gather care points together, and watch your school's health community strengthen and climb the Ickly leaderboard as one of the most active school communities. The more families join in, the more value unlocks for the school and for every parent in it. Here's how to get the ball rolling:
Follow & contribute
Get an email the moment another parent reports something at First Steps Preschool, and share what you see too. Every follow earns care points that lift First Steps Preschool up the leaderboard.
Log the first report
Kid home sick today? A 20-second anonymous log helps every family here and stacks up care points for your school.
Log symptomsInvite your parent circle
Text your class group chat. The more parents use it, the faster your school climbs the leaderboard and the more value unlocks for everyone.
Free and anonymous. Every follow, log, and invite earns care points that lift your school up the leaderboard. Join parents across Chicago sharing what's going around their schools.
Nurturing early learners with curiosity and foundational skills
Welcome to First Steps Preschool, nestled in the vibrant community of Des Plaines, IL. We are dedicated to providing a nurturing and stimulating environment where our youngest learners, aged Pre-K, can embark on their educational journey with confidence and joy. Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to foster holistic development, blending play-based learning with structured activities that spark curiosity, encourage social interaction, and build foundational academic skills. Children at First Steps explore through hands-on experiences, creative arts, early literacy, and problem-solving, all within a supportive atmosphere that celebrates each child's unique pace and potential. At First Steps Preschool, we understand the importance of these formative years in shaping a child's love for learning. Our experienced and caring educators are committed to creating a safe and engaging space where children feel valued, heard, and excited to discover. We prioritize social-emotional growth, helping children develop crucial skills such as empathy, cooperation, and self-regulation, which are vital for future success. Our spacious classrooms and dedicated play areas provide ample opportunities for both individual exploration and collaborative group activities. We believe in building strong partnerships with families, working together to support each child's growth and transition to kindergarten. First Steps Preschool is more than just a place to learn; it's a community where lasting friendships are formed, new discoveries are made daily, and every child is encouraged to take their first steps towards a bright future. We invite you to explore how First Steps Preschool can be the perfect beginning for your child's educational adventure in Des Plaines.
Where it sits in the neighborhood
No illness logs for this school yet.
If your family has something relevant to share, an anonymous log helps other parents get an earlier heads-up.
Share an anonymous logHeard something going around?
Heads-ups parents heard from school emails, class chats or other parents. These are not reports from the family who was sick.
Stay ahead of it
Follow & contribute to First Steps Preschool's health circle
Be the first family watching this school
Why it matters: know before it reaches your house: see the doctor a day sooner, keep a kid home to protect your work week, or stock the medicine cabinet before the fever or lice hit. And when you share what you see at home (takes 30 seconds, anonymous), other families get the same heads-up.
- One email when illness picks up here
- No account, no password
- Free, anonymous, unsubscribe anytime
How does this school handle sickness?
Be the first, this page stays empty until a parent fills it in. One star rating is enough, and it tells the next family what to expect.
No parent has answered this yet, so this page stays empty until one does. If your kid goes here, you're the person who can tell the next family what to expect.
Help fill in health info for First Steps Preschool
First Steps Preschool has not shared whether there is a nurse on site or when kids need to stay home. If you know, add it for other families.
Share kit for First Steps Preschool
Two print-ready posters: one personalized for First Steps Preschool with a QR code that opens this page, and a general Fall 2026 poster for bulletin boards and front offices.
Made for First Steps Preschool
School poster with QR code
Community poster
Know what's going around, ready to print
Print-ready 8.5 x 11 for bulletin boards, front offices and pickup lines.
Ready-to-paste share copy
Written for First Steps Preschool, with the link already in place. Pick a channel to see the message.
Get heads-ups from First Steps Preschool on your phone
Follow the school in the app to see what is spreading, and share an anonymous log in a few taps so other families get the same heads-up.
Alerts reach you the day something is reported, not the next time you visit.
What parents should know about illness at First Steps Preschool
This is the community health page for First Steps Preschool, a preschool in Des Plaines, IL. Parents here log the illnesses their kids actually come home with, so other families can see what is going around before the school sends a notice. Nothing on this page is medical advice or an official school report: it is what parents in this community have shared, plus public food safety and environmental records where they exist.
No parent has logged an illness at First Steps Preschool in the last 14 days. Quiet stretches are normal, especially outside the winter respiratory season, and they can also mean no one at this school has started logging yet. Being the first family to log helps every parent who checks this page next week.
On the watchlist this month
- Typical seasonal peak
Year-round, with larger fall and winter increases
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sneezing and mild cough
- Scratchy throat
- AllergiesTypical seasonal rise
Chicago often has a spring pollen peak and a fall ragweed peak
- Sneezing fits
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Clear runny nose
- Typical seasonal rise
Year-round, but often noticed when school resumes
- Persistent scalp itching
- Tickling feeling in hair
- Tiny white eggs (nits) near the scalp
- Typical seasonal rise
Often higher in winter and early spring, with a back-to-school rise
- Sudden sore throat without cough
- Painful swallowing
- Fever over 100.4 F
Good to knowWhat spreads fastest in a room of little kids
Infants and toddlers at First Steps Preschool share toys, tables, and naptime space, and they are still learning to cover coughs. That combination means illness moves through a room in days rather than weeks, and the first sign is often a change in appetite or sleep rather than a fever.
- Hand, foot, and mouth disease and stomach bugs spread through shared toys and diapering areas
- RSV and croup hit hardest under age two, and breathing changes matter more than temperature
- Pinkeye and impetigo travel on hands, towels, and nap mats
- A child can be contagious a day or two before any symptom shows up
Back to schoolWhen can my child go back to First Steps Preschool?
Every school sets its own sick policy, so check yours first. These are the rules of thumb most schools and daycares follow:
- Fever-free for a full 24 hours without fever medicine before returning
- No vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours, and eating normally again
- On antibiotics for at least 12 to 24 hours for strep throat or impetigo
- Eye discharge cleared, or cleared by your pediatrician, for pinkeye
- Well enough to take part in a normal school day, not just well enough to sit through it
Around hereHow illness travels between nearby schools
First Steps Preschool is one of many preschools in Des Plaines tracked on Ickly. October activity around Des Plaines tends to follow the seasonal pattern above, and illness rarely stops at one campus: siblings, sports, and playdates carry it between nearby schools across ZIP 60016 within a week or two. Checking neighboring schools alongside this one gives you a fuller picture than any single page can.
What to have at home
Parent-picked checklists, chosen for what families here are logging, the ages at First Steps Preschool, and the time of year.
- Daycare illness kitUseful for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in your familyView checklist
- Cold and flu season kitRespiratory season is under wayView checklist
Some links on those pages are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate Ickly earns from qualifying purchases.
Ickly is a parent-reported community signal, not a medical service or an official school record. Always talk to your pediatrician about your own child's symptoms.
Common questions
What is going around at First Steps Preschool?
No sickness has been logged at First Steps Preschool in the last 14 days. That usually means things are quiet right now, and you will see new logs here as soon as families share them.
How does Ickly know what is spreading at First Steps Preschool?
Everything on this page comes from parents. Families log a symptom or a confirmed diagnosis for their child, and Ickly groups those logs by preschool and by week so you can see patterns without anyone's name attached. Logs are always anonymous to other parents.
Can I get notified when illness spreads at First Steps Preschool?
Yes. Follow First Steps Preschool with a free Ickly account and you will get a heads up when parents start logging something new, plus a weekly summary of what is going around.
How do I log a sick day for my child at First Steps Preschool?
Tap "How's everyone feeling?" anywhere on Ickly and answer a couple of quick questions. It takes under a minute, stays anonymous, and it is what makes this page useful for every other family at First Steps Preschool.
Is First Steps Preschool in Des Plaines, IL?
Yes. First Steps Preschool is a preschool in Des Plaines, IL. You can also see what is going around at nearby schools and daycares in the same neighborhood on Ickly.
Other schools near First Steps Preschool
See what's going around at nearby schools too.
Explore nearby schools
Illness rarely stops at one campus. These are the pages parents check alongside this one.
What's going around nearby
Other schools in Des Plaines
- Algonquin Middle SchoolMiddle
- Apollo Elementary SchoolElementary
- Central Elementary SchoolElementary
- Chippewa Middle SchoolMiddle
- Cumberland Elementary SchoolElementary
- Devonshire Elementary SchoolElementary
- Domowe Przedszkole w Des PlainesPreschool
- Family Resource CenterSchool
- Forest Elementary SchoolElementary
- Friendship Junior High SchoolMiddle
- Iroquois Community SchoolSchool
- Maine West High SchoolHigh
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