Sumner County Early Learning Department
聚彩堂 Early Learning Preschool:
聚彩堂 preschool program is a developmental program that is geared toward teaching developmental skills to both children that are typically developing and children who are delayed in these skills. Through partnerships with families and the community, 聚彩堂 preschool program will create safe, compassionate, and collaborative learning environments that support growth, nurture independence, and foster a sense of belonging for ALL students.Our program is located in 14 elementary schools across Sumner County.
Sumner County Pre-K classrooms are funded in a number of different ways, including using local and state funding. Each fund source has different requirements, like serving families based on income within Sumner County, or charging a fee. Some of our pre-k seats require a weekly fee of $150.00. We do offer tuition support for a limited number of families and classified employees of 聚彩堂 who do not quite meet the income requirements to qualify for the tuition free seats. Families that pay weekly tuition are offered extended care options before and after school and we have a limited number of extended care options available for families that meet the income requirements for the tuition free seats.
Program hours vary by school start times, but all classrooms offer a 6 hour instructional day. Families are responsible for providing transportation to and from the program.
The application process is different for pre-k from K-12 enrollment. There are eligibility requirements that must be considered, including age, immunizations, and a separate application is required. Pre-k students must be 4 years old on or before August 15, 2024 to apply. If your child will be age-eligbile for kindergarten, meaning they turn 5 on or before 8/15/2024, they are not eligible to participate in our pre-k program. Some of our programs accept 3 year olds. In order to be considered as a 3 year old, the child must turn 3 on or before August 15, 2024. Please note that priority will be given to three year olds who will be turning 4 between August 16 - September 30.
If families have concerns or questions about their pre-k child's development, they can contact our office at 615-451-6352. We encourage all families to visit our Developmental Pre-K page to learn more.
If you think your child between birth and 36 months (age 0 to 3 years) may have a disability and needs an evaluation, please call at 1-800-852-7157 to make a referral. TEIS will help families locate services for infants and toddlers with disabilities before the child reaches school age.
聚彩堂 wants all age eligible students to apply for Pre-K. If your child meets the age requirements, please apply for a Pre-K seat. Pre-K is the best place for your child to grow and develop the skills needed for kindergarten.
If you are interested in applying for the 2024 - 2025 school year, Please Note that any applications received after 3/5/2024 will automatically be placed on a waitlist. Families on that waitlist will be contacted in July if there are still open spots.
UPDATE as of 6/18/2024: We have filled all paid spots. We have a very limited number of income-based (tuition free based on income guidelines) spots at a few schools (i.e. Westmoreland, Millersville, Vena Stuart, Benny Bills). We will contact families first, who participated in our original pre-k screenings and were put on our original waitlist, then we will look at applications received after 3/5/2024 should there still be spots to fill.
If you have questions, you can call our office at 615-451-6352 or email
To Translate form to another language:
- Click on the link above for the form.
- Right Click anywhere on the form and several options will appear.
- Click on 鈥淭ranslate鈥� or 鈥淭ranslate to.鈥� Another box will appear in the upper right corner.
- If the language you want to translate to does not appear, click on the three vertical dots and select 鈥淐hoose another language.鈥�
- Click on the drop-down menu, choose the desired language and click the 鈥渢ranslate鈥� button.
What's next after applying?
Our department will review applications on an on-going basis. We will hold several pre-k screenings starting at the end of February for families that applied before March. Families will be emailed with a date, time, and location for their child's screening. On May 10th families will be notified via email and regular mail, whether or not their child has been offered a spot. If you have indicated an interest in seeing if you qualify for a tuition free spot, you will be contacted to provide the required proof of income documents for all adults in the home. Families who are not offered a placement during the initial placement, will be placed on a waitlist. Families on the waitlist will be contacted if placements become available.
How are classes determined?
Since our program focuses on having a blended model in each classroom of students with and without disabilites, we form class rosters based on what the needs of the projected classes will be. This means that our spots are not filled on a first come, first serve basis. We use a multi-faceted approach to determine our class lists. Part if this process is the pre-k screening that all typically developing pre-k applicants will take part in. Once the screening process has been completed, our department uses the information gathered during the screening to help determine which students would be the best fit for each classroom based on their ages and abilities in relation to the students with special needs that will also be in that classroom. Children who are not offered a spot during the initial placement offering, will be placed on a waitlist and contacted should any spots open up throughout the year.
If you have general questions about the application process, or our program you can email our department at
Registration:
All registration will be handled through our department and/or the school (dependent on time of year) once you have been offered a spot. Do not complete Skyward registration or visit/contact the school regarding registration until our department has offered you a seat, they will redirect you to our department to follow the proper steps. Once you have been offered a seat you can refer to the district enrollment page for more information on that process. Schools are given a list of students who have been offered a spot, if you are not on that list you will not be permitted to register.
Preschool Students with Unique Learning Needs:
We also serve preschool students that have been identified as having a disability that impacts their ability to learn in our Developmental Pre-Kindergarten. Our special education preschool teachers work with children who have a variety of needs, significant developmental delays or disabilities. These children have been assessed and placed by an Individualized Education Plan team. Contact the if you have concerns with your child's development.
-
- CDC鈥檚 developmental milestone checklists are communication tools intended to encourage ongoing conversations between families and professionals. The checklists also help identify the need for additional screening (between universal screening ages, as needed) when there is a potential developmental concern. Milestones are just one part of these communication tools. The milestone checklists also include
-
-
Open-ended questions to address concerns that milestones alone may not capture,
-
Reminders for developmental screening,
-
Information about how to connect with early intervention, and
-
Tips to help caregivers promote child development.
-
-