Preschool Application Process
Age Eligibility for Typical Students
Students who will turn 3 years old but will NOT turn 5 years old by December 31, 2018 are eligible to apply for entrance to the GPS Preschool Program. Entrance into the program is based on a lottery.
How to Apply to the Preschool Program
- Process
- Lottery Process
- The GPS "Community" Preschool priorities area as follows:
- First Priority
- Second Priority
- Hamilton Avenue School Preschool Class
- First Priority
- Second Priority
- Registration & Verification Packet
Process
- Students currently attending the Greenwich Public Schools Preschool Program who are age eligible to attend preschool for another year do not need to reapply. Information will be sent to the parents in the spring for children returning for the following year with tuition rates and payment information.
- An application must be completed for all new students whose parents wish to apply to the Greenwich Public Preschool Program.
- Parents may indicate up to three preferences for location of a "community" preschool class in priority order. All attempts will be made to honor site preferences. GPS reserves the right to balance preschool classes by age, gender, and youngsters identified as economically disadvantaged.
- If more than one child in a family is applying to the preschool program, each child must complete a separate application form. There is no guarantee that all children applying from one family will be accepted, unless the sibling is a twin.
- Parents will receive a written letter stating whether or not their child received a placement in one of the preschool classes. Parents must confirm their acceptance by completing the form that will be attached to the letter of acceptance and returning it to the Preschool Office, by the noted deadline in order to move forward in the registration process.
- If an applicant is not placed in one of the preschool classes, his/her application will be maintained in the applicant pool wait list until September 30, 2018. A new lottery will be held with children on the current wait list and children of Greenwich Staff and Employees of the Town of Greenwich who have applied to the program. The wait list is in rank order for each of the age/gender groups (for example, three-year olds boys).
- Parents who refuse an initial placement offer will have their child's name removed from the wait list.
Lottery Process
The GPS "Community" Preschool priorities area as follows:
First Priority
Siblings of youngsters who are presently enrolled in the preschool program (and will continue in the program as a 4 year old for the 2019-2020 school year) will have priority status for a vacancy in a preschool class. These students are not placed through the lottery system but are offered seats in the classes prior to the lottery.
Second Priority
Youngsters applying to a GPS "community" preschool location (North Street, Parkway, Old Greenwich) will be selected based on a lottery system. As the names are selected through the lottery, consideration for availability is based on gender and age to ensure the classes are appropriately balanced. Priority consideration will also be given to youngsters who are economically disadvantaged.
Hamilton Avenue School Preschool Class
First Priority
Siblings of youngsters who are presently enrolled in the preschool program (and will continue in the program as a 4 year old for the 2019-2020 school year) and siblings of Magnet K-4 students presently enrolled at the Hamilton Avenue School will have priorty status for a vacancy in a preschool class. These students are not placed through the lottery system but are offered seats in the classes prior to the lottery.