Pre-kindergarten registration slated Friday

Friday's grand re-opening at Twin Rivers Mall will mark a new beginning for many Craven County preschool children registering for the More at Four pre-kindergarten or Head Start programs.

At the mall from 2 to 6 p.m., Craven County Schools and Coastal Community Action Inc. will hold registration for 4-year-olds for the More at Four program and others for Head Start in the 2009-10 school year.

A similar event last year registered nearly 100 for the programs, which serve more than 200 preschool children in Craven County through activities designed for those at risk for school success.

"It is a wonderful opportunity for those families whose children may not have had opportunities to be in preschool or child care and who need the benefits of a high quality preschool education to succeed in school," said Pinkie Moore, Craven Smart Start's community outreach coordinator.

 "That really is what the program is about - getting those who don't speak the language or haven't had preschool experience ready so they don't walk into kindergarten ill prepared," she said.

Parents interested in enrolling children should bring each child's birth certificate, social security card and proof of family income to help show eligibility for the programs.

Children must be 4 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2009, to qualify for More at Four. Head Start accepts younger children, as well as 4-year-olds.

The children do not have to come with parents for the registration. But there will be activities for children, including a costumed cowboy reading stories and the "Cat in the Hat" character from the book by Dr. Seuss, Moore said.

There will also be information booths for parents on kindergarten readiness, child care resources and referrals, a state insurance program for children not qualifying for Medicaid and literacy activities, including Newspapers in Education.

More at Four is a state-funded, community-based, voluntary pre-kindergarten initiative to prepare at-risk 4-year-olds for success in school through programs emphasizing literacy, numbers, physical and fine-motor development, and problem-solving and thinking skills.

 Participants are selected based on program criteria that include family income. There is no cost to families selected to participate. Applicants will be notified about selection at a later date.

More at Four classes are located across Craven County at sites that include: All About Children Daycare and Preschool, Child Care Network #77A and Duffyfield Head Start in New Bern; Godette Head Start Center in Havelock; and Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary and James W. Smith Elementary in western Craven County.

In addition to the Godette and Duffyfield Centers, Head Start operates two programs in New Bern, F.R. Danyus and Charles F. Taylor.

The Craven County More at Four pre-kindergarten program is supported by the Office of School Readiness of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and by local community organizations and private child care centers.

For information about More at Four, contact Renee' Harrell at (252) 244-3226. For information about Head Start, contact Barbara Heckman at (252) 223-1682.