Ways to Help
Scholarships
Grants
Awards & Programs
Award
The Bonnie McBeth Early Learning Grant will award up to $5,000 to current preschool teacher(s) to help pay for any program designed to improve the teacher’s classroom knowledge and/or teaching skills.
Background
Bonnie McBeth became District 202’s first kindergarten teacher in 1951. After teaching kindergarten for many years, Mrs. McBeth worked as a reading specialist and then became one of the district’s first Reading Recovery teachers. During her 38 year career, she taught students, mentored colleagues and shared innovative ideas. Volunteering and helping others through community service were hallmarks of her life in Plainfield.
Mrs. McBeth retired in 1994. In 2001, the district named its preschool/early childhood facility in her honor. In 2007, she endowed a monetary gift for the purpose of helping early childhood educators obtain additional training and access to best practice learning experiences.
Mrs. McBeth passed away in February of 2014 but her legacy lives on. The resources she so generously provided continue to impact and influence excellence in early childhood education. The Bonnie McBeth Early Learning Grant honors her memory and celebrates her love of learning.