Pre-Kindergarten applications for the 2008-2009 school year will be available on Feb. 1. You may pick up an application from any of the schools, the Effingham County Board of Education Office (and on the Board’s Web site: www.effinghamschools.com), Effingham County Health Department or from the Department of Family and Children Services in Springfield. Your child must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2008, to be eligible for the Pre-K program as required by the Bright from the Start: Department of Early Care and Learning.

The Pre-Kindergarten application period is Feb. 1 – 29. Upon the completion of the application process, a lottery style drawing will be held in the auditorium at the Effingham County Board of Education, 405 North Ash St., Springfield, on March 11. The applications will be drawn according to the schedule below, per school district. The names drawn during the lottery will be placed on a “School Roster Sheet” until all available slots are filled (the number of slots per school district is listed below). Once the slots (per school district) are filled, all remaining applicants will be placed on a waiting list in the order that the name is drawn until the last application for each school district has been processed.

All applications received after the lottery drawing (March 11) will be placed on a class roster if there are available slots, or they will be assigned to a waiting list on a “first-come, first served” basis.

The Pre-K administrator will direct the drawing of names for the four-year old state lottery funded Pre-Kindergarten Program on March 11 at the Effingham County Board of Education Auditorium for each school district (if necessary) according to the following times:

Central Learning Center (CLC) located at 434 Wallace Dr., Springfield:    
12:30 p.m. Ebenezer Elementary – 2 classes / 40 slots    
12:45 p.m. Guyton Elementary – 4 classes / 80 slots
1 p.m. Springfield Elementary – 3 classes / 60 slots (1 class will be housed at ECHS)

Marlow Learning Center (MLC) located at 4152 Highway 17 South, Guyton:    
1:15 p.m. Blandford Elementary – 2 classes / 40 slots
1:30 p.m. Marlow Elementary – 4 classes / 80 slots
1:45 p.m. Rincon Elementary – 3 classes / 60 slots
2 p.m. Sand Hill Elementary – 2 classes / 40 slots
2:15 p.m. South Effingham Elementary – 3 classes / 60 slots (1 class will be at SEHS)

Your attendance is not required at the drawing. However, you may attend or you may call the school site your child will be attending (CLC – 754-6417 / MLC – 728-9080) or the board office (754-6491 or 754-5628) after 3:15 p.m. to find out if your child has been selected. If your child’s name is drawn, you will be formally notified by mail during the month of March.

Please remember, you may only submit one application (per child) for the school district in which you live. (You may risk losing your placement if you submit an application for more than one school district.) We look forward to having your child in our Effingham County Pre-Kindergarten program as well as working with you toward helping your child have a great educational experience.