Enrollment

Any family living in Durham County with a child who will be 4 by August 31 of the preschool year is eligible to apply. Eligibility for preschool services in Durham is not limited by income.

For children who turned 4 years old on or before August 31, 2021, click here for application information.

For children who will turn 4 years old on or before August 31, 2022, click here for application information.

To receive more information about the application process, call 1-833-773-5338 or visit the DPK Application page.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, however, we encourage families to apply by May 13th to be considered for all Durham Public Schools pre-K classrooms. Families that submit an application after the May 13th deadline, will only be considered for Durham PreK, NC Pre-K, Head Start and the Whitted School.

For your application to be processed and considered complete, the following items MUST be submitted:

1. Date of Birth documentation
   • Copy of Child’s Birth Certificate, Passport or Record of Faith Initiation (must be translated if in a language other than English)
2. Documentation of Durham County Address, can include any of the following:
   • copy of valid state issued ID
   • copy of current signed lease
   • current utility bill (water/power/gas)
   • If parent’s name is not on bill/lease – download and complete this form. Or submit bill and signed & dated letter from the bill payee stating that family is residing at the residence is needed.
3. Documentation for all sources of family monthly and annual income.
   • Choose one of the following to show current monthly family income:
     • one month of most recent consecutive check stubs for each employed parent/stepparent/guardian,  [weekly (4 pay stubs), bi-weekly (3 pay stubs), twice a month (2 pay stubs), monthly (1 pay stub)]

~OR~

• • • submit this form if no documentation is available

~OR~

• • • dated and signed statement/letter from employer
  • Choose one of the following to show annual income for consideration in all programs:
    • copy of all W-2 from 2021
    • 2021 IRS 1040
    • last check stub from 2021 for each employed parent/stepparent/guardian
  • Include all other income sources that apply to your family:
    • child support
    • retirement
    • worker’s compensation
    • unemployment/social security benefits letter
    • if student, include class schedule/enrollment information;  if applicable, scholarship/financial assistance documentation
  • Additional documents to submit (when applicable, based on application responses) include:
    • Documentation of parent’s military service (includes current active duty and serious injury or death resulting from military service)
    • Copy of child’s Private Service Plan
    • Child’s health assessment or note from medical provider indicating child’s chronic health condition

Child citizenship does not determine eligibility. All 4 year old children in Durham County are eligible for all programs, regardless of citizenship status.

Families can choose to leave the citizenship question blank, but it will limit program options for that child to Durham Public Schools, Durham PreK and Head Start.

Until further notice, all pre-K screenings for the 2022-23 school year application will be completed over the phone due to COVID-19.

School year 2022-23 applicants will receive a call within a couple of weeks of submitting the application online, by phone or by mail based on the time preference indicated in your online application.

Calls will likely show up as private because staff are working remotely and are using their personal phones. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

For questions about the online application, families can email prek@childcareservices.org or call 1-833-773-5338. For questions about screenings, families can email durham_prek@dpsnc.net.

For the 2022-2023 school year, the Durham PreK Governance Committee voted to reduce parent fee rates from 4% of household monthly income to 2% of household monthly income.

For most families, preschool services will be free. Families with incomes at and above 400% of the current year's Federal Poverty Level will contribute parent fees based on income and family size. To determine whether and what your parent fee might be, click here to read more about the sliding scale.

For the 2022-2023 school year, the Durham PreK Governance Committee voted to reduce parent fee rates from 4% of household monthly income to 2% of household monthly income.

Parent fees are monthly payments made by families to their child's pre-K site. They are calculated by household annual income and household size based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Families whose household income is greater than 400% of the FPL qualify for a monthly parent fee that is 2% of their gross monthly income (click here to view the estimated parent fee table).

Parent fees contribute to the monthly payments that sites receive from the Durham PreK Partners. Durham County has determined the local cost of high-quality pre-K for each child to be $1300/month. Local, state, and federal funds cover the full $1300/month for families under 400% of the FPL. Families who qualify for parent fees contribute to the total $1300 paid to pre-K sites within Durham PreK. For example, a family whose parent fee is $300/month pay their fee directly to their child's Durham PreK site, and Durham PreK pays the remaining $1000 to the pre-K site for that family's seat. This sliding scale parent fee system allows Durham County to fund more seats for under-resourced families in the community.

If you need to complete an online application for more than one child, please contact the Pre-K Information Desk for assistance at 1-833-773-5338 or prek@childcareservices.org.

For families with more than one child eligible for Durham PreK for the same school year:

• The monthly parent fee for the first child will follow the Durham PreK Sliding Scale based on household income and family size.
• For each additional child, the monthly parent fee will be 50% of the parent fee assigned for the first child.

For example, if you have two children sharing an academic year, and your family size and household income indicate a $300 parent fee, then you will pay $300 per month for one child, and $150 per month for the second child.

To determine what your monthly parent fee may be, please see the Durham PreK Sliding Scale below.

Preschool classrooms in Durham are supported by a mix of programs, including NC Pre-K, Head Start, Durham Public Schools, and Durham PreK. Participating preschool classrooms may be in a public school setting, a Head Start facility, or at a private child care facility that meets certain quality standards. Some facilities will have seats from only one of these programs, others will have a mix of seats. Every child with a Durham PreK application will receive a developmental screening. The results of the screening, general program eligibility, parent preference, and distance from home are all taken into consideration on during the placement process.

Care outside the preschool day is called Wrap Around Care. Wrap Around Care is a separate service from preschool and is neither guaranteed at every facility nor free. Individual preschool providers will determine whether they have the staffing to host Wrap Around Care and for what hours. Families should ask the facility where they are placed whether Wrap Around Care is an option and, if so, make Wrap Around Care arrangements with that facility.

DSS Vouchers and CCSA Scholarships can sometimes help to cover Wrap Around Care costs for qualifying families, but eligibility for these services is not guaranteed or universally applicable to all types of preschool. For more information about CCSA Scholarships or to see if you may be eligible, please call 919-403-6950 and ask to speak to the next available scholarship counselor.

Before and After Care hours and fees for the 2022-2023 school year will be listed later this spring. If hours are not listed for a particular site, we encourage families to contact the site directly.

If your family needs additional child care, you can contact the Child Care Referral Central at CCSA for assistance in finding a program that meets your family's needs. Visit their website or call 1-855-EARLY-ED to speak with a referral counselor.