WAKE COUNTY, NC – Parents know kindergarten is a big milestone as many children enter a classroom for the first time. This fall, more than 1,500 students will benefit from a tuition-free pre-K program offered by Wake County, and next year a similar opportunity will be available for even younger children.
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Wake County Plans to Launch ‘ThreeSchool’ in Fall 2022
“ThreeSchool” is basically a pre-K program for 3 year olds
The aim is to prepare disadvantaged children for kindergarten
Starting in fall 2022, Wake County will be offering “Wake ThreeSchool,†which essentially extends its current pre-kindergarten program to 3-year-olds.
Destiny Wilson enrolled her oldest son, Jeremih, in the county’s current pre-K program and says she is grateful for the opportunity to give her education a boost. She says she is constantly in awe of the things he learns.
“The thing about reading is that it blew me away with it,†Wilson said. “I didn’t read as well as him when I was five, you know?”
Jeremih Wilson is also learning Spanish, American Sign Language, and improving his social skills through the Wake County Pre-K program. “He was very nervous about making friends and being part of a community, almost like family. School gave him that and he was able to make more friends and get involved with like-minded people from a program perspective, â€Wilson said.
Wilson says it’s very helpful that the County Pre-K is free as she works toward her own educational goals. “When I’m in class, he comes into my room and says, ‘Mom, are you doing homework? ” Yes. I just want you to know that I do as much as you do. If I can do it, you can do it too, â€Wilson said.
In the meantime, she’s convinced her son’s time in pre-K helped prepare him for kindergarten in the fall.
“I am very proud of him. I think he knows it. I threw a big party for him when he graduated… you have to celebrate the little things and he will never forget this big milestone, â€Wilson said.
As for the Wake County ThreeSchool, officials are currently in the research phase to determine which areas would benefit the most and they will select pilot sites based on this information. In the fall of 2022, they will start serving up to 100 3-year-olds in four to five classes.
Gayle Headen, executive director of Wake County Smart Start (WCSS), says this new program will have a positive ripple effect once these students reach kindergarten.
“The children will then enter kindergarten ready to learn. The whole class benefits. Now the teacher can spend less time catching up and more time moving forward to build on skills learned in early childhood, â€said Headen.
Headen says 91% of kids who spend a year in the current pre-K program are ready for kindergarten. The pre-K program and the new ThreeSchool will continue to be income-based as a means of increasing access to quality early childhood education.
WCSS is now accepting applications for Wake County Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs including NC Pre-K, Title I and Head Start. Click here to learn more about the eligibility requirements and the application process.