It’s the time of year when parents of young children are nervously refreshing their email inboxes to see if their child received a prized slot in Georgia’s pre-kindergarten program. Atlanta Public Schools held its pre-K lottery Friday, and early education advocates say those who didn’t get a spot shouldn’t lose hope.
“There are a lot of (pre-K) choices, not just at your neighborhood school,” says Ellyn Cochran, the president and CEO of Quality Care for Children, a nonprofit that helps Georgia families find child care.
Georgia’s pre-K program is run by the state, so families that live within a certain school system can request a slot at any elementary school in that system that has a pre-K program. Pre-K lottery deadlines vary by school district.
If an APS family didn’t get a pre-K spot at their preferred school, they can apply to another APS school that has openings on March 25, according to the APS website.
However, parents don’t have to go through a school district to find a Georgia pre-K spot. The program is a mixed-delivery system, so it’s available through public schools and private child care centers. It’s free no matter where it’s located.
“The same pre-K classrooms, the same standards, the same support goes into those (programs) that are in … child care centers as those that are in the public school system,” Cochran says.
She says parents whose hearts are set on a specific school, and didn’t get a slot there, can always put their child’s name on a waiting list.
“I would encourage families to be on the list for the place that they want, but go out and visit some of the other great pre-K classrooms that might be within their community,” she says. “They might find something really great that they didn’t know about that’s free for them and available with some incredible teachers.”
Although parents may be disappointed if they don’t get their first choice, their child can still probably attend a Georgia pre-K program, says Mindy Binderman, founding executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Schools (GEEARS).
“Studies have shown that Georgia pre-K classrooms are pretty high quality overall, so regardless of whether they’re at the public school down the street, or 1 mile away, or whether they’re at a private child care program that offers Georgia pre-K, you’re going to get a great education for your 4-year-old,” she says.
More information on Georgia’s pre-K program:
Quality Care for Children: 1-877-255-4254, qualitycareforchildren.org
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning: families.decal.ga.gov/PreK/
APS lottery: atlantapublicschools.us/Page/67411
Cherokee County pre-K: cherokeek12.net/enroll-new-student
Clayton County pre-K: bit.ly/3VjbOR8
Cobb early learning: cobbk12.org/page/42475/early-learning
DeKalb lottery: dekalbschoolsga.org/pre-k/
Forsyth pre-K registration: forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/46523
Fulton lottery: fultonschools.org/PreKRegistrationGuidelines
Gwinnett lottery: gcpsk12.org/schools/early-learning-0-5-years/pre-k
Henry County pre-K: henry.k12.ga.us/Page/125388
Paulding County pre-K centers: publicprek.com/co/ga-paulding
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