Schools with Pre-Kindergarten Classes: 
Algood Elementary
Baxter Primary
Burks Elementary
Cane Creek Elementary
Capshaw Elementary
Cookeville High School
Jere Whitson Elementary
Northeast Elementary
Park View Elementary
Prescott South Elementary
Sycamore Elementary

2024-2025 PreK Program

Applications for 2024-2025 will be available at all elementary schools and the Board of Education office beginning April 2, 2024. Applications should be taken home to complete.  Once applications are complete and verifying documentation is ready, call Diana Nichols at 931-526-9777 to schedule an appointment to review the application.  When you leave your appointment, you will know if your child has a spot in the PreK program or is on a waiting list.

PreK Eligibility for 2024-2025 is as follows:

Child must be 4 yrs old by August 15, 2024

First Priority:

• Family income meets the requirements for federal poverty guidelines.
• Family receives food stamps.
• Child is in state custody or foster care.
• Child has been previously enrolled in a Head Start program.
• Child has a sibling in school that qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2023-2024.

Second Priority:

• Child has an IEP (Individual Education Plan)
• Child is an English Language Learner (ELL)
• Child has a parent that is deployed in active military duty
• Child is 3 on August 15, is income eligible, and turns 4 between August 16 and December 31 may be considered if space allows

If space is available, we may enroll children based upon the Community Pre-K Advisory Council priority for enrollment:

• Child has a teenage mother/father
• Low developmental screening
• Child is being raised by someone other than a biological parent
• Child receives WIC, SSI, Families First or Even Start services

Our goal is to assist families and the community in providing developmentally appropriate support and services.

• Our PreK program is not a “drop-in” program.
• Regular, on-time attendance is required by the State of Tennessee.
• PreK follows the PCSS calendar for holidays, breaks and snow days.
• Extended care between 2:00 – 2:45 pm will be provided for working parents or children enrolled in the afterschool program (SAC).

Please note: Enrollment is based upon a child’s eligibility as identified in TVA- 49-6-101-104. First priority students are those identified as economically disadvantaged. This identification is based on income levels set each year by the Department of Health and Human Services. Other enrollment eligibility includes: children with disabilities, children identified as English Language Learners, who are in state custody, or those identified as educationally at-risk due to neglect or abuse.

If space continues to be available after placing all eligible four-year-old children, income-eligible three-year-old children may be considered for placement in any of our classrooms across the district. The school system would be looking specifically at placing three-year-old children that turn four between August 16 and December 31, 2024.

*REMINDER* Any students attending Pre-K will register for Kindergarten based on the student’s residential address and not on the school of Pre-K enrollment. Zoning policies apply to Kindergarten-12th Grade students.

Pre-K students go to school for 6 hours each school day. Typically, PreK students start school at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., 1 hour before all other students are dismissed.

Daily attendance is critical for your child in order to be ready for Kindergarten. When a child is absent, please send a doctor's excuse or parent note to school the next day. This gets you in the habit of what is expected as they enter Kindergarten through high school.

Students that miss consistently may be asked to give up their spot in the class to another child.

Pre-K students follow the standard dress code adopted by the Putnam County Board of Education. You can visit Putnam County Board of Education Policy Manual

When you walk into our high-quality PreK classrooms, you will see children involved in active, hands-on learning that engages each child and fosters a love of learning. Activities are designed to enhance a child's natural curiosity and desire to learn through participation in both large and small group activities. Play is essential to the development of strong learners. We follow the TN Early Learning Developmental Standards and the TN Childcare Rules and Regulations.

There is no charge for children to attend the PreK program. 

Some of the Pre-K program sites also offer extended care for working parents before and after school.

Please contact your child's school to see available options through School Aged Care (SAC). 

The Voluntary Pre-K classes participate in the Putnam County School System’s Child Nutrition Services.

Children in the PreK program are served a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and a snack daily. Many children are very "picky" eaters. Our school nutrition staff provides food options available for your child. The PreK students eat "family style" in the classroom or in the cafeteria. Meals are a teaching and learning time. We encourage children to try new foods and expand their tastes.

There is not a charge for children to attend the PreK program. If you do not qualify for free or reduced meals, you will be required to pay for lunch provided by the school cafeteria. Breakfast is currently free for all students.

Transportation is provided by parents or guardians. Bus transportation is not provided. 

You will know when leaving your scheduled appointment if you are placed in a PreK class or added to the waiting list. 

The income eligibility worksheet is reviewed by PCSS PreK staff to help determine eligibility. The PreK Coordinator will review the At-Risk questionnaires to take into consideration any other eligibility factors.

Your child's teacher will contact you a week or so before school begins to answer any questions and to give you information about registration and our transitional schedule for PreK students. If you have not heard from your teacher, you may contact your child's school and leave a message for the teacher. 

At registration, please bring your child's birth certificate, social security card (optional), and completed immunizations and physical form.

PCSS does not zone for PreK. Consideration is given to eligible students that have siblings in a preferred school. However, once a class has been filled, students will be considered for their second and third school choices. If space is available at another location near you, your child will be able to attend that Pre-K class even though it is not your zoned school.

Your child's name will be placed on a waiting list. Any additional spaces will be filled from our waiting list (based on our sliding scale so as to target the next most at-risk students). Families will be contacted by the middle of September (per State guidelines) to see if you are still interested in the Pre-K program. At that point, we will fill open spaces from our waiting list.