DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Schools still has spots available for this fall for the free Great Start Readiness Program preschool.
The district will hold a special enrollment day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 3 to help families register. Parents can bring their required documents to Cotter Early Childhood Center, 13020 Osborne St., that day to enroll their child.
GSRP is a state-funded preschool program students can participate in at no cost to eligible families. To be eligible, children need to be turning 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2022. Preference will be given to students who will be four by Sept. 1, 2022, because those students will qualify for kindergarten next year, but the program will accept students with birthdays between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1, if space is available.
Parents can learn more on the Cotter School webpage. For a full list of documents needed to complete enrollment, download the enrollment flyer.
Dearborn has 608 slots for GSRP students at 14 locations: Cotter, Becker, William Ford, Henry Ford, Geer Park, Long, Lowrey, McCollough, McDonald, Oakman, River Oaks Salina Elementary, Salina Intermediate, and and Whitmore-Bolles schools.
GSRP serves low-income and working class families who are below 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, Early Childhood Coordinator Amy Modica said. For the current school year, the income guidelines allow a family of four earning up to $66,250 a year, or $5,521 a month, to qualify for the program.
To apply, students must live with a parent or legal guardian within the school district.
GSRP classes are generally 16 students with two adults, including a certified early childhood specialist. Classes meet for a full school day from Monday through Thursday. Times vary slightly by building, but are similar to the elementary school schedule.
“We focus on kindergarten readiness,” Modica said. “Our emphasis is on student social, emotional readiness for school.”
In addition to learning academics like letters and colors, GSRP students are taught how to get along with other children, how to take care of themselves, and other skills they will need to thrive in kindergarten.
Families will be notified over the summer if their child was accepted into the program or put on a waiting list. Children with birthdays from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 will not find out until the beginning of September if they are accepted to the program.
“We encourage interested families to call and learn more and to fill out an application,” Modica said.
Parents may call Cotter School at 313-827-6150 for more information.