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.

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 2021-22 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.

In addition to completing appropriate school registration forms online, families will need to provide their child’s birth certificate, Immunization Form 3231, a Hearing, Vision, Dental, and Nutrition Form 3300, a copy of the enrolling student's social security number or sign a form stating the individual does not wish to provide the social security number, pursuant to O.C.G.A.20-2-150. Proof of residency will be required at registration and must be dated within 30 days of the date of registration. You can do this online now due to COVID-19 precautions. View our registration FAQ.

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 for a multi-residency form that will need to be completed by the property owner. Proof of residency is used to verify the elementary school attendance zone. If the child receives Medicaid, Food Stamps, TANF, or SSI, we request that you bring documentation of this information to registration.

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.

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 by contacting Karen Bedford at karen.bedford@barrow.k12.ga.us.