Family FAQs

Durham PreK enrolls children that are 4 years old by August 31 of the school year attending.

To receive more information about the application process, call 1-833-773-5338.

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.

(If you do not have an income to report, there is a form included in the application or you can submit this form to indicate a parent or guardian has no income to report.)

Use this helpful Application Documentation Checklist (in English) (en Español) to keep track of what you need to submit!

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.

In-person application appointments are not currently being scheduled due to COVID-19. Families can call 1-833-773-5338 to schedule a virtual appointment with a bilingual Pre-K Application Counselor.

The developmental screening is a play-based assessment conducted by an early childhood professional. Families can share about what you see at home with your child's development on a questionnaire completed during the screening. These screenings give us a snapshot of your child’s development and help us to identify children that may have a greater potential academic need. The results are used as a criteria component for some participating programs. Children that complete a developmental screening in the spring are eligible to be considered for all of the pre-K programs that use the universal application. Children who do not get screened in the spring may still be eligible for some programs and will receive their developmental screening once placed in a classroom.

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.