APPLY FOR PRESCHOOL
If you have an email account, you can apply ONLINE!
PLEASE NOTE that this is an APPLICATION process, not enrollment.
Our program is for children who are at-risk for school failure, with research-based factors that put them at risk.
We select the children with the MOST risk factors first.
If we have more applications than enrollment slots, children go on the waitlist until until another child withdraws from the program. We will then place the child from the top of the waitlist.
APPLICATION LINK FOR THE 25-26 SCHOOL YEAR WILL OPEN FEBRUARY 3, 2025
English
Spanish
If you do NOT have an email address, contact our office and we will help you apply over the phone. 910-259-7603.
ABOUT PRESCHOOL
Pender County Schools Preschool / Head Start Program is a comprehensive child development and family focused program that serves three- and four-year-old children and their families. It is a child-focused program with the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of children. Head Start programs promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional and social services to enrolled children and families.
Head Start grant recipients provide a range of individualized services in the areas of education and early childhood development: dental and mental health; nutrition; and parent involvement. All programs must adhere to the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The Head Start Program Performance Standards define the services that Head Start programs are to provide to the children and families that they serve. The Head Start Program Performance Standards and other information may be found at www.headstartinfo.org and www.headstartnc.org.
Pender County Schools Preschool / Head Start Program participates in the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program under the direction of the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education. The Division of Child Development and Early Education provides funding, academic standards and curriculum, collaboration, professional development, teacher licensure (nonpublic schools), technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation to support public schools and childcare centers in providing high-quality pre-kindergarten. The Division of Child Development and Early Education strengthens collaboration among early childhood agencies and programs at the state and local levels, including the public schools, childcare, Smart Start, NC Early Intervention Services, Head Start, and other programs toward our common goal of school success for all children.
The definition of “school readiness” in North Carolina is:
The condition of children when they enter school, based on the five domains of development
Health and physical development
Social and emotional development
Approaches to learning
Language development and communication
Cognition and general knowledge
Pender County Schools Preschool / Head Start Program oversees the operation of six four- or five-star sites across the county:
C.F. Pope Elementary School – 5-star
Cape Fear Elementary School – 4-star
Malpass Corner Elementary School – 5-star
Rocky Point Primary School – 5-star
South Topsail Elementary --5-star
Surf City Elementary Preschool --5-star
Note: All students attending the Pender County Schools Preschool / Head Start Program are required by North Carolina state law to have a completed Health Assessment. In addition, Head Start Performance Standards requires students attending the Preschool /Head Start Program to have a completed Dental Examination. What this means for your child: A health and dental form must be completed, signed by the physician/dentist with the provider’s stamp and given to the Preschool / Head Start Program.
This website is supported by Grant Number 04CH011433 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of Pender County Schools and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.