Pike County Elementary School is now accepting applications for the First Class Pre-K Program made available through a grant from the Alabama Department of Education.

Enrollment is open to all children who will be four years old on or before September 1, 2016. Children who are eligible for kindergarten are ineligible to register.

Applications are available at the PCES office at 186 Hillcrest Drive, Brundidge.  Each applicant must complete a family application form and present the most recent utility bill as proof of Alabama residency. Applications are due by 4 p.m., Thursday, June 23.

Acceptance into the program is through a random selection drawing. Families do not have to be present in order to receive a placement.

For more information, contact Pike County Elementary School at 334-735-2683.

The First Class Pre-K Program is Alabama’s state funded voluntary pre-K program for four-year-old children who are residents of Alabama. Funding for the program is to provide access for more children to attend high quality pre-K programs and to enhance the quality of existing classrooms by providing funding and support to meet the high quality standards.

“Pike County Elementary School is excited that we have been awarded a Pre-K grant,” said Shantell Rouse, PCES assistant principal. “We are proud to be able to offer high-quality instruction to the children in our community at no cost to the parents.”

Rouse said there is strong evidence showing that young children who participate in high-quality pre-K programs enter school more ready to learn than their peers. Studies, also, have documented significant cognitive gains for children who participate in pre-K programs.