THE SCS PRE-K APPLICATION FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2024 - 2025 IS CLOSED.
THE APPLICATION FOR THE 2025 - 2026 SCHOOL YEAR WILL OPEN SOMETIME TOWARD THE END OF NOVEMBER AND WILL BE LINKED HERE.
CHECK BACK HERE FOR UPDATES.
Sumner County Early Learning Department
Sumner County Schools Early Learning Preschool:
Sumner County Schools preschool program is a developmental program that is geared toward teaching developmental skills to both children that are typically developing and children who are delayed in these skills. Through partnerships with families and the community, Sumner County Schools preschool program will create safe, compassionate, and collaborative learning environments that support growth, nurture independence, and foster a sense of belonging for ALL students.Our program is located in 14 elementary schools across Sumner County.
Sumner County Pre-K classrooms are funded in a number of different ways, including using local and state funding. Each fund source has different requirements, like serving families based on income within Sumner County, or charging a fee. Some of our pre-k seats require a weekly fee of $150.00. We do offer tuition support for a limited number of families and classified employees of Sumner County Schools who do not quite meet the income requirements to qualify for the tuition free seats. Families that pay weekly tuition are offered extended care options before and after school and we have a limited number of extended care options available for families that meet the income requirements for the tuition free seats.
Program hours vary by school start times, but all classrooms offer a 6 hour instructional day. Families are responsible for providing transportation to and from the program.
The application process is different for pre-k from K-12 enrollment. There are eligibility requirements that must be considered, including age, immunizations, and a separate application is required. Pre-k students must be 4 years old on or before August 15, 2024 to apply. If your child will be age-eligbile for kindergarten, meaning they turn 5 on or before 8/15/2024, they are not eligible to participate in our pre-k program. Some of our programs accept 3 year olds. In order to be considered as a 3 year old, the child must turn 3 on or before August 15, 2024. Please note that priority will be given to three year olds who will be turning 4 between August 16 - September 30.
If families have concerns or questions about their pre-k child's development, they can contact our office at 615-451-6352. We encourage all families to visit our Developmental Pre-K page to learn more.
If you think your child between birth and 36 months (age 0 to 3 years) may have a disability and needs an evaluation, please call at 1-800-852-7157 to make a referral. TEIS will help families locate services for infants and toddlers with disabilities before the child reaches school age.
Sumner County Schools wants all age eligible students to apply for Pre-K. If your child meets the age requirements, please apply for a Pre-K seat. Pre-K is the best place for your child to grow and develop the skills needed for kindergarten.
Update as of 9/7/2024: All spots have been filled and we are no longer taking any applications for the current school year. We do not anticiapte being able to add anyone to any classes from the current waitlist. Families will be individucally contacted should a spot become available. Please note that while our max classroom size is 20 students, we strive to keep class sizes closer to 12 - 16 sstudents because we serve a high population of students with varying special education needs. Having a classroom of 20 students with varying challenges and needs is not the ideal inclsuive learning environment that SCS strives to provide for our youngest future leaders. We also have to leave spaces open for the additional students with disabilities that are being added throughout the year. Sumner County has the highest rate of children ages 0 - 2 receiving early intervention through TEIS. We have to assess all children turning three who are receiving TEIS services as well as those who parents self-refer for testing to determine if they qualify for special education services. We test anywhere from 30 - 45 children each week and typically, 74% of those tested qualify for services within the school system. This means that we are adding new students with special needs to our classes on a monthly basis and have to leave space to account for the additional students we know will need services. The application for the 2025 - 2026 school year will open sometime toward the end of November and will be posted at the top of this website as well as just below this paragraph. Thank you.
If you have questions, you can call our office at 615-451-6352 or email
SUMNER COUNTY SCHOOLS PRE-K APPLICATION FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2024 - 2025 (Closed)
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What's next after applying?
Our department will review applications on an on-going basis. We will hold several pre-k screenings starting at the end of February for families that applied before March. Families will be emailed with a date, time, and location for their child's screening. On May 10th families will be notified via email and regular mail, whether or not their child has been offered a spot. If you have indicated an interest in seeing if you qualify for a tuition free spot, you will be contacted to provide the required proof of income documents for all adults in the home. Families who are not offered a placement during the initial placement, will be placed on a waitlist. Families on the waitlist will be contacted if placements become available.
How are classes determined?
Since our program focuses on having a blended model in each classroom of students with and without disabilites, we form class rosters based on what the needs of the projected classes will be. This means that our spots are not filled on a first come, first serve basis. We use a multi-faceted approach to determine our class lists. Part if this process is the pre-k screening that all typically developing pre-k applicants will take part in. Once the screening process has been completed, our department uses the information gathered during the screening to help determine which students would be the best fit for each classroom based on their ages and abilities in relation to the students with special needs that will also be in that classroom. Children who are not offered a spot during the initial placement offering, will be placed on a waitlist and contacted should any spots open up throughout the year.
If you have general questions about the application process, or our program you can email our department at
Registration:
All registration will be handled through our department and/or the school (dependent on time of year) once you have been offered a spot. Do not complete Skyward registration or visit/contact the school regarding registration until our department has offered you a seat, they will redirect you to our department to follow the proper steps. Once you have been offered a seat you can refer to the district enrollment page for more information on that process. Schools are given a list of students who have been offered a spot, if you are not on that list you will not be permitted to register.
Preschool Students with Unique Learning Needs:
We also serve preschool students that have been identified as having a disability that impacts their ability to learn in our Developmental Pre-Kindergarten. Our special education preschool teachers work with children who have a variety of needs, significant developmental delays or disabilities. These children have been assessed and placed by an Individualized Education Plan team. If you have concerns regarding your child's development please complete our . Once Completed our office will contact you with additional information and to schedule an evaluation if needed.
Contact the Preschool Assessment Team if you have concerns with your child's development.
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- CDC鈥檚 developmental milestone checklists are communication tools intended to encourage ongoing conversations between families and professionals. The checklists also help identify the need for additional screening (between universal screening ages, as needed) when there is a potential developmental concern. Milestones are just one part of these communication tools. The milestone checklists also include
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Open-ended questions to address concerns that milestones alone may not capture,
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Reminders for developmental screening,
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Information about how to connect with early intervention, and
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Tips to help caregivers promote child development.
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