In the spring of 2022, months before the new District 45 Early Childhood Center opened, a team of preschool staff and parents, along with Principal Kelly Nettleton and the District 45 Communications Department, met to develop a new mascot for the soon-to-be-open school.
Early ideas included the expression of a curious, energetic, and friendly mascot, which describes the common nature of many early learners. The team also believed a mascot for the early childhood center could be something other than an animal.
The team discussed the concept of “growth and transformation” and how the early childhood center would provide a space for early learners to experience significant developmental changes while learning. Two visual identities discussed were a sprout and a caterpillar. The team shared the concepts with a professional illustrator, including the building’s color scheme of blues, greens, and yellow.
The first sketches arrived, and the team was captivated by the charm of the caterpillar rendering. It was cute, curious, energetic and friendly. Also, from an artistic standpoint, adding eyes and a mouth to an insect seemed more logical than a plant. With some refinements along the way, the team selected the caterpillar.
The caterpillar symbolizes growth and transformation – just like caterpillars transform into butterflies, young children undergo significant developmental changes during their preschool years. The caterpillar represents the profound learning and growth that happens in early childhood.
Caterpillars also have a naturally child-friendly appearance that is cute and appealing to young children. They are also colorful and visually engaging, non-threatening and gentle, and easy for children to draw and recognize.
There’s also excellent educational value in choosing a caterpillar mascot. Their lifecycle provides natural learning opportunities. They move at a pace children can observe and understand, they demonstrate concepts like counting through their body segments and colors, and they feature prominently in many beloved children’s books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
Finally, caterpillars embody many positive traits that align well with early childhood development: they demonstrate patient and steady progress as they crawl along, show curiosity about the world around them, exemplify resilience through change, and work at their own pace – all qualities District 45 aims to nurture in young children.
