Pre-K FAQ

A child must be age-eligible (4 years old on or before September 1) and a Georgia resident. Children who are 5 years of age on or before September 1 and have not attended Georgia’s Pre-K Program as a 4 year old, may enroll in the Pre-K Program.

A certified birth certificate or other acceptable proof of age is required. Other forms such as passports, official medical documents (hospital certificate of birth) and official documents from other countries will be accepted.

Proof of residency is a utility bill (electricity, gas, water, cable/satellite, garbage or house phone), settlement statement, or a rental/lease agreement. If a child’s family is living with someone and does not have proof of residency, parents should contact the registration department at registration@barrow.k12.ga.us and request a multi-residency form.

Check with your child’s doctor’s office or go to the Health Department to obtain Immunization form 3231.

Check with your child’s doctor or go to the local Health Department to obtain the new Hearing, Vision, Dental, and Nutrition Screening Form 3300.

You will be asked to provide a copy of the enrolling student's social security card at the time of registration or you can fill out and sign a social security form waiver if you wish not to provide it. O.C.G.A.20-2-150.

Pre-K registration information will be included in a letter sent to you after the Pre-K lottery drawing. You MUST pre-register your child online at Registration Gateway and upload the required registration documents, birth certificate, immunization form 3231, a Hearing, Vision, Dental and Nutrition form 3300, a copy of the enrolling student’s social security number.  If the individual does not wish to provide the social security number, pursuant to O.C.G.A.20-2-150, an electronic waiver will be generated during the online process.

Proof of residency will be required for pre-registration and must be dated within 30 days of the date of registration. (Please see the Registration page for more information and FAQ.) Please remember the Pre-K application process is different from REGISTRATION. The documents you provided for the application must be uploaded into the Pre-registration site.

If your child is drawn for a Pre-K class, the Pre-K registration information will be included in the letter sent to parents after the Pre-K Lottery drawing.

Georgia’s Pre-K Program operates just like a school classroom. Parents commit to sending their child to school for the complete 6.5 hours a day for 176 days per school year. You can view the calendar for the upcoming school year here. Children can be disenrolled for being chronically tardy in the morning or being chronically picked up prior to the end of the instructional day.

Chronic tardiness is defined as late arrival or early departure more than once per week. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing more than two days per month without medical or other reasonable explanation. Chronic tardiness or absenteeism may also be defined by an established regular attendance pattern(s), e.g., if a child is later every Monday or absent every Tuesday or leaves early every Friday.

Yes, just like any other grade level in school, attendance in Pre-K is important to help the child develop good attendance habits and be successful in school.

To see other State Funded Pre-K Providers in Barrow County, review our resources or the Bright from the Start website.

Once the school year begins, if a child who is on the Barrow County School System Pre-K waiting list attends another lottery-funded Pre-K or Head Start Program in Barrow County, the child will be removed from the BCSS Pre-K Program waiting list. We want to work together with the other Pre-K providers to serve as many students as we can in Barrow County. Parents may make a special request based on their individual situation to keep their child on the Pre-K Program waiting list.

Any openings that become available in the Pre-K classes will be filled using the waiting list from that school attendance zone. The Pre-K Director will keep documentation on file of the progression of the waiting lists. If your child was not in the BCSS Pre-K Lottery in April, please email Margrette Bailey or call 770-867-4527 Ext. 100133 to provide the information needed to complete a BCSS Pre-K waiting list form. Once that information is provided, Margrette will place your child on the Pre-K waiting list for your child’s elementary school attendance zone.