LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Public Schools is pleased to announce open registration for Prekindergarten/Head Start to determine eligibility for school year 2015 – 2016. All schools will hold open registration from Monday, April 13, 2015 through Friday, April 24, 2015 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The goal of the Prekindergarten/Head Start program is to provide initial learning experiences to help children develop basic skills and concepts necessary for successful school performance. A child must be four years old on or before September 1, 2015, and come from a family with an economically disadvantaged background. If vacancies remain after children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have been enrolled, the remaining vacancies will be filled using locally determined at-risk criteria.
Parents of children who will be three years old by September 1, 2015 and are eligible for placement in the Head Start Program should also register at the school assigned to their physical address during the open enrollment period.
The process for registration has been revised for the 2015-2016 school year. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may go to the school assigned to their legal address on any of the designated registration days to complete the registration paperwork. Families that are part of the redistricting for the 2015-2016 school year should register at their current home school. Children are not required to be present for registration. Required documentation includes evidence of birth, proof of residency, proof of income, a copy of the child’s immunization record, any court papers regarding custody of the minor child, and a completed application. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must also bring photo identification when registering their child.
Proof of income must be provided in order for a child to be registered as an income eligible child. Proof of income documentation includes one of the following:
a. W-2 form;
b. Copies of the last 3 paycheck stubs; or,
c. Proof of temporary cash assistance (the letter indicating the amount of temporary cash assistance is required).
Documentation which indicates the current physical address of the child will be accepted as proof of residence. Proof of residence will include, but is not limited to, one of the following:
a. Mortgage/deed/rental agreement with 911 address assignment;
b. Current utility bill with parent/legal guardian name, 911 address of residence, and service address (no post office box is accepted – and wireless telephone bills are not acceptable); and,
c. Patuxent River Naval Base housing form NOW-NATC-1110-1/15, Assignment to Public
Quarters, that identifies bona fide residence in St. Mary’s County.
Each elementary school will conduct open enrollment for the children residing in their zone. Questions regarding which school serves your residential area should be directed to the Department of Capital Planning at 301-475-4256, option 6.
Questions about the program and registration may be directed to Cynthia Kilcoyne, Coordinating Supervisor of Early Childhood Programs at 301-475-5511, ext. 32218.