Durham Universal Pre-K 2020-2021 Application Now Open

Durham County’s initiative for universal pre-K, Durham PreK, now accepting application appointments for 2020-2021 school year

Durham, N.C., January 7, 2020: Durham PreK is now accepting application appointments for the 2020-2021 school year. All 4-year-olds living in Durham County are eligible for the county’s publicly funded universal pre-K program. Programs participating in Durham County include Durham PreK, Durham Public Schools–Title I Pre-K, NC Pre-K and Durham Head Start.

To schedule an appointment for the application process, call the Durham PreK Information Desk at 1-833-PREK-EDU (1-833-773-5338). Families will sit down with a specialized counselor to walk through application and enrollment process, including scheduling a developmental screening for each child. For more information about the enrollment process, what to bring to the appointment or to fill out the application online, visit www.durhamprek.org/families/enrollment.

Durham PreK is a local investment in public preschool for 4-year-olds by the Durham County Government. Built to enhance and expand the state-funded NC Pre-K program, Durham PreK is open to all children in Durham County and will grow incrementally over time to meet the full community need for publicly supported high-quality early education.

Child Care Services Association (CCSA) serves as the management agency for Durham PreK and works collaboratively with Durham County Government, Durham’s Partnership for Children, Durham Public Schools, Durham Head Start and numerous other community partners to expand access to high-quality pre-K classrooms to Durham’s 4-year-olds.

The overall goal over the next few years is to expand each year so that Durham PreK will be available to all families with 4-year-old children who choose to participate. To view early learning programs that offer Durham PreK, visit www.durhamprek.org/families/site-locations.

Durham PreK

Durham PreK is committed to improving the quality of preschool programs by providing financial support, training opportunities for teachers and increasing eligibility for families to enroll their child. The program began in 2018 with the Durham County Government committing to equitable access to high-quality preschool for all children in Durham. Investments will not only increase the number of publicly funded pre-K seats but also broaden eligibility and work with teachers and private centers to build their quality through teacher and director education, mentoring and coaching. The County has a contract with Child Care Services Association (CCSA) to manage the expansion of Durham PreK. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has established a Governance Committee chaired by the Durham County Manager’s office to approve Durham PreK standards and policies. For more information, visit www.durhamprek.org.

Child Care Services Association

Founded in 1974, Child Care Services Association’s mission is to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality child care for all young children and their families. Using a holistic approach, Child Care Services Association (CCSA) supports children and families, helps child care professionals improve the quality of early education children receive and ensures all families can afford and access the high-quality early care and education that is so important for a child’s early development. Through its Meal Services Program, CCSA also provides nutritious meals to children at child care centers, where they may eat 50-100 percent of their meals. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^®, Child Care WAGE$^® and Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$ Plus programs give child care professionals the means to obtain an education and supplement their salary based on that education. CCSA also licenses T.E.A.C.H. and WAGE$ across the U.S. and conducts early childhood systems research and policy development statewide and nationally. For more information, visit www.childcareservices.org.

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