Schools

Pre-K Enrollment At Philly School District Open Now

The School District of Philadelphia is now accepting applications for the full-day, free pre-kindergarten program.

PHILADELPHIA – The School District of Philadelphia is now accepting applications for the full-day, free program.

The district is encouraging all eligible families to enroll their students in pre-Kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year.

Families should apply by Thursday, Feb. 28 to be considered in the first round of pre-K applicants. The District’s Pre-K Office — located in Suite 170 in the Education Center at 440 N. Broad St. in Philadelphia — is open to accept applications from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, the office will offer extended hours from Feb. 18 to Feb. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Philadelphiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

To be eligible, children must be at least 3 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2019, and must not be age-eligible for kindergarten; children and families must live in Philadelphia; and families must meet current Head Start or Pre-K Counts income guidelines.

Students enrolled in pre-K will have access to wide-ranging educational curriculum; state-certified teachers; extensive health services; and free daily breakfast, lunch, and snack.

Find out what's happening in Philadelphiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In addition, every Friday in January and February from 10 a.m. to noon, children enrolling in pre-K at the Education Center can take a picture with Sesame Street characters.

"Providing our students a quality early childhood education is key to unlocking their potential later in life," said Dr. William R. Hite, superintendent. "Early childhood education helps our students build upon the academic, social, and emotional skills that will set them up for success. I encourage all parents to enroll their children in pre-K."

Families should bring copies of the following documents to the Education Center: proof of child’s date of birth (birth certificate, court document, or passport); child’s health insurance card; proof of Philadelphia address in the primary parent’s/guardian’s name; current state or federal photo ID of the primary parent/guardian; and eight current and consecutive weeks of gross income received by the primary parent/guardian, secondary parent/guardian and all children; current child physical (with immunizations) and dental form.

More information about pre-K, including information about January events at District schools and a link to an application, is available online here.

Image via Google

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.