Orange County NC Website
LHI <br /> APEL HILL- <br /> ORO <br /> igCITY SCHOOLS <br /> Pre-Kindergarten Programming <br /> The mission of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Pre-K/Head Start <br /> Program, in partnership with families and the community, is to provide high quality, <br /> developmentally appropriate early childhood education, which will meet the diverse <br /> needs of all children and prepare them for a positive educational experience. The <br /> district currently serves over 260 students in traditional, blended and adaptive pre- <br /> kindergarten classrooms. Younger students being served under the Exceptional <br /> Children's program are eligible to enroll in pre-kindergarten classrooms as early as age <br /> three. <br /> The purpose of the CHCCS Pre-K/Head Start is to support students, families and the <br /> Local Education Agency (LEA) in preparing students for success in education and in <br /> life. Our program presents a heavy focus on social emotional learning along with play- <br /> based pre-literacy and math skills. Many of our students come from low socioeconomic <br /> backgrounds, have disabilities, or other factors that could impede learning. Given this <br /> demographic, we serve to identify and build strengths to support learning for the whole <br /> child. <br /> Pre-K serves children age three to five years of age, not yet eligible for kindergarten, <br /> in the areas of Education, Family Partnerships, Mental Health, Disabilities, Health, <br /> Safety, Nutrition, and Dental Care. <br /> Pre-K operates 180 school days from 8:00-2:30 and extended care is available (7:30-8 <br /> and 2:30-5:30). Pre-K is funded through Head Start, North Carolina state funded Pre- <br /> K Program/Smart Start (NC Pre-K) and local tuition dollars. <br /> Applications for Pre-K/Head Start programs are accepted on a year-round basis. <br /> Children who are three or four years old by August 31 st are eligible to apply. Interested <br /> families must complete an application and provide supporting documentation. <br /> Applications are reviewed and screened and eligibility for Head Start, Smart <br /> Start/NCPK, Exceptional Children's Program (EC), Subsidy or Tuition is determined <br /> based on income and risk factors. Tuition and Subsidy placements are lottery-based. <br /> Children who are not selected through the lottery process will be placed on a waiting <br /> list. Head Start and Smart Start/NC Pre-K placements are need-based. If enrollment at <br /> all sites is full, accepted applications will be placed on the waiting list. Once the <br />