Early Childhood Education program enrollment starts this month

Starting this month, the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program is enrolling children for the 2015-16 school year.

Early childhood education provides children with the critical foundational skills, strategies, and experiences that promote success in school and beyond. Extensive research shows that students who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs:

• Engage in more complex activities with peers and materials
• Enter kindergarten with necessary skills for school tasks
• Show greater knowledge of numerical concepts
• Are less often retained or placed in special education classes

Approximately 3,000 students are registered each year in the State Preschool program. Numerous program options are available to qualifying families to enroll their children:

• State Preschool Head Start Extended Day Classrooms (6.5 hours) at 17 different locations across the district
• Three-hour State Preschool Programs, with both morning and afternoon sessions at 43 different elementary school locations
• Full-day care is offered for families who qualify and meet both income and needs requirements at Child Development Centers (CDCs) in 12 different locations across the district.

This year, there are more than 1,200 students who entered preschool at age 3 and are eligible for priority enrollment to attend in the coming 2015-2016 school year. Priority enrollment will enable returning families to make early school and program choices. Qualifying families have been notified by their child’s classroom teacher and provided priority enrollment appointment request forms, allowing them to schedule appointments now and eliminate the need to attend the open enrollment fairs planned for June and July.

These enrollment fairs will be conducted at middle and high schools in the communities served by the State Preschool programs. The calendar of enrollment fairs will be finalized May 18 and will be posted on the ECE program website.

Each registration event will provide for both scheduled appointments and walk-ins. The enrollment fair calendar will include an appointment hotline families can use to schedule appointments at their convenience.

For additional information, please contact the Early Childhood Education Programs office at 858-496-8126.