Stay ahead of it
Get notified when something goes around First Steps Kindergarten
Be the first family watching this school
- Email when illness activity picks up here
- Weekly digest of what's going around
- Free, anonymous, unsubscribe anytime
Health sentiment
mixedAn AI-written summary of what has been said publicly about health and wellness at First Steps Kindergarten, gathered from public web pages, parent forums and directory listings. These are not parent reviews and they are not counted in this school's rating.
- First Steps is okay for a local preschool, but it definitely feels a bit old school.
- The communication from the office about bugs going around isn't always the fastest, I usually find out about a stomach flu from other moms in the group chat before I hear it from the school.
- They do some cute stuff for the kids like the annual picnic with a clown, but I really wish they'd spend a little more time updating the facility.
- It's clean enough, I guess, but it feels like it misses that modern focus on wellness and air quality you see at some of the newer centers.
Summarized from 2 public mentions, last refreshed May 11, 2026. Summaries can be incomplete or out of date. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Nurturing young minds in Springfield with a foundational start for bright futures.
First Steps Kindergarten is a preschool facility located in Springfield, Illinois. As an early childhood education provider, the school focuses on serving the developmental needs of young children in the local community. The center operates within the state of Illinois' educational and safety framework for private early childhood programs. While specific wellness programs or staffing ratios are not publicly detailed, the facility is subject to local health and safety regulations governing preschool environments. Parents interested in health-related protocols, such as immunization requirements or daily wellness screenings, are encouraged to contact the administration directly for the most current information. This school offers a localized option for Springfield families seeking a foundational start for their children. Its focus on the kindergarten-readiness age group makes it a notable consideration for parents prioritizing early social and cognitive development in a dedicated preschool setting.
Where it sits in the neighborhood
No recent illness reports for this school in the last 90 days.
Be the first to reportHealth reviews
No health reviews yet. Be the first to share.
Help families at First Steps Kindergarten stay one step ahead.
Share this page with your school community so every parent can see what's going around, and add their own logs.
Invite another First Steps Kindergarten parent to Ickly.
The more parents on the radar, the earlier everyone spots what's going around. Send a quick text, we handle the rest.
What happens next
- Pick contacts (or type numbers) and we'll open your Messages app with the note pre-filled.
- You review and send when you're ready. Nothing goes out from Ickly.
- When they tap the link and join, they can follow First Steps Kindergarten in one tap.
Your join link is included at the end: https://ickly.com/signup
What parents should know about illness at First Steps Kindergarten
This is the community health page for First Steps Kindergarten, a preschool in Springfield, 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 Kindergarten 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
- Peak season
Summer and early fall
- Mild fever and fussiness
- Painful mouth sores
- Red spots or blisters on hands and feet
- Very common
Back-to-school season
- Persistent scalp itching
- Tickling feeling in hair
- Tiny white eggs (nits) near the scalp
- Common
Back-to-school spike
- Red or pink eye whites
- Itchy or gritty feeling
- Watery or yellow discharge
- AllergiesCommon
Spring pollen, fall ragweed
- Sneezing fits
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Clear runny nose
Good to knowWhat spreads fastest in a room of little kids
Infants and toddlers at First Steps Kindergarten 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 Kindergarten?
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 Kindergarten is one of many preschools in Springfield tracked on Ickly. August activity around Springfield 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 62701 within a week or two. Checking neighboring schools alongside this one gives you a fuller picture than any single page can.
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.
Share kit for First Steps Kindergarten
A printable poster made for this school: First Steps Kindergarten on the first line, signed off from the local parent community, with a QR code that opens this page.
Ready-to-paste share copy
Written for First Steps Kindergarten, with the link already in place.
Best for group chats with other parents
A mom in Chicago created this app: Ickly shows what illnesses are going around at First Steps Kindergarten right now. I follow it so I know what we might be walking into. Follow our school here: https://ickly.com/schools/IL/springfield/first-steps-kindergarten?utm_source=parent_share&utm_medium=share_kit&utm_campaign=school_share&utm_content=text
Other schools near First Steps Kindergarten
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.
Other schools in Springfield
- Bright Beginnings DaycareDaycare
- Central Middle SchoolMiddle
- Creative Kids PreschoolPreschool
- Discovery PreschoolPreschool
- Eastview Middle SchoolMiddle
- Happy Hearts ChildcareDaycare
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary
- Learning Tree PreschoolPreschool
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary
- Little Angels DaycareDaycare
- Little Learners KindergartenPreschool
- Little Scholars DaycareDaycare
Common questions
What is going around at First Steps Kindergarten?
No sickness has been logged at First Steps Kindergarten 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 Kindergarten?
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 Kindergarten?
Yes. Follow First Steps Kindergarten 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 Kindergarten?
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 Kindergarten.
Is First Steps Kindergarten in Springfield, IL?
Yes. First Steps Kindergarten is a preschool in Springfield, IL. You can also see what is going around at nearby schools and daycares in the same neighborhood on Ickly.
Was this page useful?
Flag something wrong, suggest an edit, or just tell us how it landed.