The NC Pre-K Application and Enrollment Period for the 2021-2022 School Year has begun! Call or email Smart Start to see if your child is eligible for this free high-quality education opportunity that will prepare them for Kindergarten.
NC Pre-K is a free high quality pre - kindergarten program for eligible four year-olds that supports children’s development and literacy skills and enhances kindergarten readiness.
NC Pre-K serves children who are four years old by August 31st of the year of enrollment and whose total household income is less than 75% of the state median.
Children served by NC Pre-K attend a full school day (6-1/2 hours), full school year program (up to 10 months) and will be served in classrooms in private childcare centers, county childcare program, Head Start classrooms or public school classrooms.
NC Pre-K program requirements are built on the premise that to be successful academically in school, children need to be prepared in all five of the developmental domains that are critical to children’s success in reading and math as they enter school. The five areas are: approaches to play and learning, social and emotional development, health & physical development, language development & communication and cognitive development.
Who Coordinates NC Pre-K for Transylvania County?
Smart Start of Transylvania County administers the NC Pre-K program.
To access the 2021-2022 NC PreK application and instructions, please click the links below:
Interested in becoming an NC Pre-K provider in Transylvania County?
Please contact Smart Start for more information.
The NC Pre-K Advisory Committee
The NC Pre-K Program requires every county that chooses to participate in NC Pre-K to establish and maintain a County/Region Advisory Committee. This committee is represented in part by local school boards and systems, the local Smart Start partnership, licensed childcare providers, Head Start, Department of Social Services, parent(s) of preschool-age children, county cooperative extension agency, and/or childcare resource and referral agency. In Transylvania County, the NC Pre-K Advisory Committee meets a minimum of three times a year and the meetings are open to the public.
Please reference the public meeting notices page for meeting dates.
To learn more about NC Pre-K, access the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) website.