Pre-Kindergarten Program

Step One: Gather Required Documents

• Child’s birth certificate 
• Child’s social security card
• Parent/Guardian picture identification 
• Proof of residency documentation 
• Georgia Certificate of Immunization and Certificate of Ear, Eye, Dental, and Nutritional Screen (if complete; may be submitted later)

Visit the Required Documents for Registration tab on this web page to further assist you with this step.

If you have access to an Internet-connected computer, cellular telephone, or digital device, you can fully register your child for our Pre-Kindergarten Lottery Drawing and waiting lists. To complete your online registration, choose the option that best describes your current status and follow the directions:

1. Registration Option One: This is my first child to apply for enrollment in Bulloch County Schools; or
2. Registration Option Two: I already have other children actively enrolled in Bulloch County Schools

Key things to remember:

• Within 48 hours of your completion of the online registration, you will receive a status update which will inform you of any documents we did not yet receive that are required in order for your child’s name to be included in the lottery drawing.
• Should you require assistance to complete your child’s application, please contact your child’s school for an appointment to come in and use a registration  kiosk at the school or attend our in-person, evening Pre-Kindergarten Registration event on March 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the boardroom of the school district's Central Office, located at 150 Williams Road in Statesboro.
• If you have access to a scanner or the ability to take a readable photo of the required documents, you can upload your required documents as part of the online registration process.  If you prefer not to do this, simply bring your documents to the school by 4 p.m., on March 14, or contact the school for instructions to send the documents via e-mail.  No appointment is required for document drop-off.

Registration for 2024-2025 Year

• Registration for the 2024-2025 school year remains open. 

Registration for 2025-2026 Year

• Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will open online on this website on Monday, February 24, 2025, and it will remain open throughout next school year.

Key Points to Remember

All Pre-Kindergarten registrations occur online via any Internet-enabled computer, cellular phone, or digital device. We do not accept any registrations prior to the advertised opening date. We encourage families to review the Pre-K Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions tab on this webpage before registering. 

What if I do not have access to the Internet?

If you do not have access to an Internet-enabled device, contact your zoned elementary school to make an appointment to register via their kiosks during school office hours from 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Is there an  in-person evening registration time available?

Yes, Bulloch County Schools provides an evening registration time prior to the lottery drawings.

It is for families who do not have access to the Internet to register online, and who are unable to make a daytime appointment to register at their zoned school. Look for advertised times during the registration period. The school district will host the evening registration at the Bulloch County Board of Education, located at 150 Williams Road, in Statesboro.  

To help you know the types of documentation that will be required to register your child for pre-kindergarten, please refer to this list. These items must be presented at Pre-Kindergarten Registration.

1. Verify identity of the legal parent / legal guardian who is registering the child by providing one of the following:
a. Valid driver’s license
b. Any picture identification card

2. Establish that parent or legal guardian is authorized to register the child by providing one of these documents:
a. Child’s birth certificate – Must show name of parent(s)
b. Magistrate court documents indicating custody
c. Power-of-attorney documents (Military or Civilian)
d. Custody documents
e. Letter of placement from the Georgia Department of Family & Children’s Services 

3. Establish identity and age of child by providing a birth certificate.

4. Establish proof of residency in Bulloch County by providing one of the following:
a. An electric, gas, water, cable television, or landline telephone/Internet utility bill that is less than 60 days old
b. A current lease that is less than 60 days old accompanied by a rent receipt
c. A letter from a homeless shelter, hotel/motel/RV park or employer if employer provides housing
Note: A cell phone, mortgage, property tax, homeowner’s insurance, vehicle registration, driver’s license, or PeachCare bill or notice will NOT be accepted as proof of residency. If you are unable to provide one of these documents in the registering parent's name or that of the registering parent's spouse, a notarized Family Residency Affidavit, along with a copy of the other person's proof of residence, will be required.

5. Establish proof of child’s Immunization Record (Form 3231) and Eye, Ear, Dental and Nutrition (EEDN-Form 3300).
a. Obtain these forms from the Health Department (855-473-4374) or your pediatrician.
Note: During registration you may provide proof of an upcoming appointment for health forms. Immunization & EEDN forms can be provided at a later date. This only applies to Pre-Kindergarten registration.

6. Provide child’s Social Security card or an accepted reason why it can not be provided.

In March of each year, a Pre-Kindergarten Lottery is held for each school zone where there are more registered students than available class spaces.  A lottery is defined as a process or outcome which is governed by chance; therefore, parents do not choose which Pre-K site their child will attend in that zone. For school zones where there is more than one Pre-K site (i.e. an elementary site and a high school site), one lottery will be used to place children in that zone’s available slots. 

After each lottery, the school district will contact the parents of each student chosen during the lottery, so that the registering parent can formally accept the enrollment. This must be done to officially enroll the child. 

Why are Lottery Drawings & Waiting Lists Necessary?

• The Georgia Department of Early Learning (also known as Bright from the Start) administers Georgia Pre-K, which is an optional early learning program.
• Unlike grades K to 12 for which the school district must accommodate all children in Bulloch County who are registered for school,  the Georgia Department of Early Learning decides and approves how many program sites our school system can host. This limits the number of children we can register, but we do provide lists of other private Pre-K sites in the community and a waiting list for our sites.
• Bulloch County Schools has 11 pre-k sites with a total of 20 classrooms with space for 398 children. For this reason, demand may exceed space, so it is important to register during the announced Pre-Kindergarten Registration period.
• Even if you feel a Pre-K site will fill up, please complete a registration packet, and if necessary, ask to be placed on the waiting list or ask about other sites in and out of your school zone.  Waiting lists help us show demand for the program and could lead to additional sites being granted to the school system.

May a child remain on an out-of-zone waiting list after they have accepted a spot at his or her attendance-zoned school? 

Yes, the child may remain on the out-of-zone list prior to the first day of faculty pre-planning. After pre-planning begins, to keep your child on an out-of-zone wait list, you will need to first decline the in-zone pre-kindergarten spot.

What if I register after the Pre-K lottery drawing?

Children who are registered after the Pre-K Lottery drawing will be automatically placed at the bottom of the waiting list for their zoned school and alternate school if indicated. 

Pre-Kindergarten Waiting Lists

A Pre-K waiting list is defined as a list of children, who are awaiting possible placement in a Pre-K site. Each zone has one waiting list. For school zones where there is more than one Pre-K site (i.e. an elementary site and a high school site), the two sites share a single waiting list. 
 
Children are placed on a waiting list if they did not receive placement at a Pre-K site in their zone due to full enrollment. Children may also be placed on a waiting list for a Pre-K site that is not in their zone. 
 
If a child receives placement in a Pre-K site, the parent can either accept or deny the placement. In an instance where there are two Pre-K sites in a zone (an elementary and a high school site) and a family participated in a Pre-K Lottery, the child received placement at a Pre-K site, and the parent denied placement at that site, the child will not be placed on a waiting list at the other Pre-K site within that same zone because the sites share a single waiting list.

Points to Remember

• High school sites are paired with an elementary school in that zone.
• We ensure that all of our Pre-K classes have a guaranteed and viable curriculum. Our students have an equal opportunity to be immersed in a positive learning environment and have educational experiences which focus on the Pre-K developmental standards. 
• We understand the importance of providing students with an early start with their educational experiences as well as providing a smooth transition to kindergarten in their zone school.
• As vacancies occur within a Pre-K classroom, applicants will be notified from the waiting list which will be in the order of the names drawn in the lottery. 
• Applicants who registered after the registration window are placed on the waiting list in the order that the packet was received.