Head Start, Pre-K spots open
By Jillian Lucas
Parents who need to pre-register their children for Head Start or pre-kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year are encouraged to start the process.
New and returning Head Start families need to pick up applications at the Nancy Smith Elementary School office and return the forms as quickly as possible.
Required documents for Head Start are income verification (tax return or pay stubs), birth certificate, immunization records, insurance card, CHIPS or Medicaid information, social security card, and proof of residency (parent’s driver’s license or identification card).
Head Start family service director Stephanie Jaco said Region 14 will then contact families for an eligibility interview and to complete the official enrollment paperwork.
“We cannot guarantee a time frame when Region 14 will contact applicants, but the families will be contacted,” Jaco said.
She added that there is plenty of room for both three and four-year-old students.
“As long as a family meets the requirements, they will not be turned away,” Jaco said. “There is no waiting list right now.”
Head Start is a free full-day pre-school program for economically disadvantaged children who are three or four years old and who qualify for free meals.
Head Start is also open to students with specified disabilities.
Pre-K Program
NSES principal John Gallagher said parents of students who do not qualify for Head Start can pick up a form to see if they qualify for pre-kindergarten.
Students who will be four years of age prior to Sept. 1 have priority over younger students if space is limited, but right now there is not a waiting list.
Criteria to qualify for the program include any one or more of the following qualifiers: eligible for free or reduced lunch program, a parent who is on active military duty or who was injured or killed during military service, homeless children, students unable to speak and comprehend English, children in CPS, and children of a Star of Texas award winner.
A copy of the child’s birth certificate and social security number, proof of residency, and parent’s driver’s license or identification card are needed.
Call 325-762-3384 with questions during office hours Monday to Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
