Pre-K registration has options

Newcomers to public schools in Columbia County should register during the pre-K and kindergarten registration period, Thursday through March 31.

But newcomers to the county who miss the registration dates can register at their zoned schools after classes start, said the school system's elementary learning director, Phyllis Means.

"They will wait until the beginning of the year and when the school opens the parent will have the opportunity to register the child," she said.

Parents needing to know which school their child is zoned for can check online at www.ccboe.net, or call (706) 541-0650.

All but three of Columbia County's elementary schools offer a lottery-funded pre-K program, Means said.

However, pupils of the three schools not offering the program, which are Blue Ridge, Riverside and Stevens Creek elementary schools, can be registered in a different zone.

Students residing in the Blue Ridge zone will be included in the registration at Evans Elementary. Stevens Creek-zoned students can register at River Ridge Elementary and Riverside pupils can register at Greenbrier Elementary, according to a board of education press release.

Parents unable to enter their children in the quick-filling spots of the state's pre-K program in public schools can also register with area day-care facilities offering the same program.

"People are interested in their children being in pre-K and it is at no cost, even for the private agencies participating in the lottery funding," Means said.

Representatives from child-care centers might be present at some schools during the March registration period to help register children not selected for the system's pre-K program, according to the press release.

"All of the lottery funding comes from the Georgia Department of Early Child Care and Learning," Means said. "All of the schools that have classes, including the private agencies, are listed on their Web site, www.decal.state.ga.us."

- Vist our ABCs of Pre-School section