Pre-Kindergarten Registration

  • Beginning February 13, 2023,* at 8:00 a.m., Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) will be accepting online applications for the Pre-Kindergarten Program for 4-Year-Olds for the 2023-2024 school year. 

    Garrett County Public Schools that offer a Pre-Kindergarten 4-Year-Old Program include:
    • Accident Elementary
    • Broad Ford Elementary
    • Friendsville Elementary
    • Grantsville Elementary
    • Route Forty Elementary
    • Yough Glades Elementary

    If you have a child who will be four (4) years old by September 1, 2023, and you are interested in enrolling them in the Pre-Kindergarten Program for 4-Year-Olds, please complete and submit the online application. A link to the application is provided below (the link will be live on February 13, 2023, at 8:00 a.m.*). The Pre-Kindergarten application will ask for specific information about your family's income and your child's developmental and health data. This information will be used to determine your child's eligibility for the Pre-Kindergarten Program for 4-Year-Olds and is kept confidential by GCPS.

    For enrollment in the Pre-Kindergarten Program for 4-Year-Olds, the school system will first consider each family's monthly household income and children with disabilities. Initial eligibility, then, is determined by whether a child qualifies for free or reduced lunch meals as determined by guidelines that are published annually by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Maryland State Department of Education. Proof of income will be required at registration.
     
    The school system will also automatically enroll 4-year-old children into the Pre-Kindergarten Program for 4-Year-Olds if any one of the following applies:
    • Limited English Proficiency and Limited English Proficient
    • Homelessness
    • Prior participation in a Head Start or Even Start program
    • Referral
    • Emergency and health situation
    Students that do not meet the automatic enrollment criteria or the income eligibility criterion will be given an empty seat in the school in their home district. If there are no empty seats available in that school, students will be given an empty seat in the school nearest to their home district. Please note that homeless children will be automatically eligible, even if the enrollment exceeds 20 or more students per school site. All applications will be time and date stamped to support the enrollment process.
     
    If you need assistance in completing your child's application, please contact the elementary school in your home district and ask to speak to the Registration Liaison. If you have questions regarding the school district in which you reside, please contact the Transportation Department at 301-334-8907 for assistance.
     
     

    Application in English (live Feb 13, 2023*):

    https://forms.gle/waf3XEnG6iJZVXdg8

    Solicitud en Español (en vivo 13 de febrero de 2023*)

     
    Any questions about the enrollment process should be directed to Mrs. Dawna Ashby, Director of Elementary Education, at 301-334-7644, or Mrs. Kendra Berry, Administrative Assistant, Elementary Education, at 301-334-8927.
     
    *In case of an inclement weather day on February 13, 2023, applications will be accepted the next day when schools are in session. In the event of a 2-hour delay, applications will be accepted beginning at 10:00 a.m.