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Free Half-Day Prekindergarten
Apply today!
Free half-day pre-kindergarten at:
- Birch Grove School for the Arts
- Crest View Elementary School
- Edinbrook Elementary School
- Fair Oaks Elementary School
- Garden City Elementary School
- Palmer Lake Elementary School
- Park Brook Elementary School
- Zanewood Community: A STEAM School
FREE HALF-DAY EVERY DAY PREkINDERGARTEN
Our free half-day prekindergarten program for four-and-five-year-olds meets every school day. The focus of our program is to make sure that students receive instruction, services, and support so they are successful in school and beyond.
Small class sizes mean your child will receive personal attention from our highly trained and caring teaching staff. Free transportation is also available to eligible students who live 0.8 mile or more from their school.
To request transportation, please email busquestions@district279.org (see back page to learn more).
This free prekindergarten program is made possible by special funding from the state, which recognizes the established link between early learning opportunities and student achievement.
The free prekindergarten program is available at these schools:
- Birch Grove School for the Arts
- Crest View Elementary School
- Edinbrook Elementary School
- Fair Oak Elementary School
- Garden City Elementary School
- Palmer Lake Elementary School
- Park Brook Elementary School
- Zanewood Community: A STEAM School
What to Expect in Pre-Kindergarten
While there is some variation among schools, a typical day in prekindergarten may include:
- Morning meeting/afternoon welcome
- Story time
- Breakfast (morning session)
- Choice time and small group work
- Physical activities
- Group activities
- School library and computer lab visits
- Snack (afternoon session)
WHAT WILL MY CHILD LEARN IN PREKINDERGARTEN?
Our prekindergarten curriculum will help your child prepare for successful learning in school and beyond. Below are some examples of what your child will learn in prekindergarten:
Personal & Social Development
- Express ideas, feelings and needs
- Demonstrate self-control skills
- Use words and other strategies to resolve conflicts
Math
- Count objects
- Duplicate a simple pattern
Language & Literacy
- Connect letters with sounds
- Predict what will happen in a story and talk or draw about it
- Recognize rhyming words
Science
- Ask questions and seek answers through active exploration
Physical Education
- Move body with coordination
- Demonstrate small motor control and coordination
Application deadlines and lottery process
Apply by Dec. 31, 2023
Birch Grove School for the Arts
(separate magnet school application)
Birch Grove School for the Arts is a magnet school with
separate application deadlines. Apply to Birch Grove
School for the Arts by the first lottery deadline of Dec. 31,
2023.
The online application is available at
nws.k12.mn.us/magnet-lottery.html. For more information and/or assistance with the magnet school application, contact Northwest Suburban Integration School District at 763-450-1303.
Note: Prekindergartners with older siblings currently
attending Birch Grove School for the Arts must complete
a magnet school application; prekindergartners are not
automatically enrolled based on an older sibling’s
enrollment.
About Birch Grove School for the Arts
At Birch Grove School for the Arts, core curriculum in
grades K-5 is integrated with music, dance, drama and
visual arts for daily classroom instruction. Arts-rich
electives and arts troupes provide additional
opportunities for students to “learn through our passion
for the arts!”
Apply by Jan. 15, 2024
The priority application window for Crest View Elementary
School, Edinbrook Elementary School, Fair Oaks
Elementary School, Garden City Elementary School, Palmer
Lake Elementary School, Park Brook Elementary School
and Zanewood Community: A STEAM School is Jan. 15,
2024. Please submit your child’s application by this date to
have the best chance of acceptance into the district’s free
prekindergarten program. Applications received after Jan. 15, 2024, will be processed in the order they arrive.
Note: Students who live within the attendance area of the
school offering the free prekindergarten program have the
highest priority for enrollment.
For all applications, additional preferences are given in the following order:
1. Sibling — if the student’s sibling already attends the requested school.
2. Childcare — if the student’s childcare is in the attendance area of the requested elementary school.
3. Employee — if the student’s parent/legal guardian is employed by the district.
After Sept. 10, 2024, applications are considered
on a space-available basis for:
- Students living in the attendance areas of other schools offering the free prekindergarten program; and
- Students assigned to other elementary schools in the district or w ho live outside the school district.
- Free transportation is also available to eligible students who live 0.8 mile or more from their school. To request transportation, please email busquestions@district279.org. (see back page to learn more)
For all applications, additional preferences are given in the following order:
1. Sibling — if the student’s sibling already attends the requested school.
2. Childcare — if the student’s childcare is in the attendance area of the requested elementary school.
3. Employee — if the student’s parent/legal guardian is employed by the district.
Priority/preference does not guarantee that students will be accepted into the free prekindergarten program.
Free Half-Day Prekindergarten Locations
Birch Grove School for the Arts
4690 Brookdale Drive, Brooklyn Park
763-561-1374
Morning session: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon session: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Dr. Ronald Salazar, Principal
Crest View Elementary
8200 Zane Avenue N., Brooklyn Park
763-561-5165
Morning session: 8:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Stephanie Webster, Principal
Edinbrook Elementary
8925 Zane Avenue N., Brooklyn Park
763-493-4737
Morning session: 8:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Aaron Krueger, Principal
Fair Oaks Elementary
5600 65th Ave. N, Brooklyn Park
763-533-2246
Morning session: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon session: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Sara Looby, Principal
Garden City Elementary
3501 65th Ave. N, Brooklyn Center
763-561-9768
Morning session: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon session: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
David Branch, Principal
Palmer Lake Elementary
7300 W. Palmer Lake Dr., Brooklyn Park
763-561-1930
Morning session: 8:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Sarah Schmidt, Principal
Park Brook Elementary
7400 Hampshire Ave. N, Brooklyn Park
763-561-6870
Morning session: 8:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Afternoon session: 12:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Scott Taylor, Principal
Zanewood Community: A STEAM School
7000 Zane Ave. N, Brooklyn Park
763-561-9077
Morning session: 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon session: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Adrain Pendelton, Principal
Enrollment Center
7051 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
763-585-7350
Hours: M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Apply now! Questions? Call 763-585-7350 or email enrollmentcenter@district279.org.
Schedule Early Childhood Screening
Early Childhood Screening is available at no cost to all
children ages three through five. Screening includes a
check of vision, hearing, and developmental progress; a
review of immunizations and family information; and an
individual consultation with parents regarding the
child’s progress and any identified needs. Please call
763-391-8777 to set up your screening appointment.
Dec. 31, 2023
First lottery deadline for Birch Grove School for the Arts.
If you wish to enroll your child at Birch Grove School for
the Arts, apply by Dec. 31 in order to be considered in the
first lottery. Apply at nws.k12.mn.us/magnet-lottery.html.
Jan. 15, 2024
Open enrollment lottery deadline for Crest View
Elementary School, Edinbrook Elementary School, Fair
Oaks Elementary School, Garden City Elementary School,
Park Brook Elementary School, Palmer Lake Elementary
School and Zanewood Community: A STEAM School.
Apply by Jan. 15 so your child has the best change to be
accepted. Submit your child’s completed application by
email to EnrollmentCenter@district279.org, fax:
763-585-7368; or in the lobby drop box at the Enrollment
Center- 7051 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Center, MN, 55429.
Summer 2024
Update your child’s immunizations
State law requires written proof that prekindergartners have been immunized against the following (or have an exemption): hepatitis A and B; diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis (DTaP/DT); measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); polio; pneumonia; varicella (chicken pox); and Hib. If you have questions about these immunizations or the free immunization clinic, please call 763-585-7350.
Note: Legal exemptions regarding immunizations are allowed for medical reasons and conscientiously held beliefs.
Aug. 2024
Watch for information about transportation and open house!
To request transportation, please email busquestions@district279.org
Students who are eligible and request transportation before Aug. 9, 2024:
- Transportation to and from school begins, the first day of school for children who are eligible and have requested transportation.
Students who are eligible and request transportation after Aug. 9, 2024:
- Mid-day transportation (to home if morning Pre-K, or to school if afternoon pre-K) for eligible students, is the responsibility of the parent/guardian until mid-day bus routes have been arranged by transportation staff (this may take up to three weeks).
- Children whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) requires specialized transportation will need to contact the Due Process Clerk at their student’s school to have them request specialized busing.