Mount Laurel Schools
Free Full-Day Public Preschool
Mount Laurel Schools offers a high-quality, full-day preschool program for three and four-year-olds at both in-district schools and local provider sites. The program is aligned with the New jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards which addresses all domains of learning. We provide a whole child approach that promotes a child's long-term development and growth.
Mount Laurel Schools offers inclusive general education preschool classes for three and four-year old students and specialized preschool classes for three and four-year old students with disabilities.
All Registrations must be completed online. Please review the residency documentation requirements and required health forms
here in preparation for document upload or mailing.
Questions regarding the registration process may be emailed to
[email protected], Documents may also be faxed to 856-235-1604 or placed in the mail slot at the front door of the Mount Laurel Schools Administration Building, 330 Mount Laurel Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054, Attn: Registration.
Preschool Lottery Registration Eligibility
To be eligible to register for the Preschool Lottery, a child needs to reside in Mount Laurel and be three or four years of age by October 1st.
The Preschool Lottery for 2024-2025 has concluded. All students registered for preschool after 3/16/2024 will be placed on a waitlist.
Lottery Process
Mount Laurel Schools will use a lottery system. The lottery process will be held to randomly select preschool students. When the number of students needed to fill the available preschool spots is reached, applications will continue to be drawn and this group of students will be placed on a waitlist. If a student drops out or declines a placement and a vacancy occurs, we will go to the next applicant on the waitlist. The waitlist will remain active and will be utilized throughout the year. Parents of selected students will be notified by mail and email following the lottery.
Project Child Find
Parents who suspect their preschool-age child may have special needs may obtain free help from the district's Child Study Team. This team of district professionals works with families to locate and provide services for those children who are three to five years old who may have physical, cognitive, language, social, or emotional difficulties. Screening, professional guidance, and placement in a preschool educational program (if needed) are all available free of charge through the district's Child Study Team at 856-235-3417.
Additional information is available on NJDOE Project Child Find. Project Child Find is a free referral and awareness service of NJDOE to help identify children from birth through 21 years of age who may experience difficulties in academic, and/or physical, emotional and cognitive areas, which result in a disability. For more information, call Project Child Find at 1-800-322-8174.
Children under the age of three who demonstrate delays in development are eligible for free services and support programs. Contact Early Intervention Services toll free at 1-888-653-4463.
Preschool Attendance
Research shows that preschoolers who miss 10 percent or more of the school year arrive at kindergarten with lower levels of school readiness skills. School enrollment is not mandatory under age 6, however once enrolled all students must follow the district attendance policy (5113: Attendance, Absences, and Excuses). Regular school attendance is essential to a child's learning and social emotional development. Excessive absences and tardiness disrupt the learning process for your child and others as well as the teacher’s lessons.
The District is responsible for limiting the number of students who are chronically absent. The State of NJ considers all students who are absent for 10% or more of the school year to be Chronically Absent. Students ages 5 and under with truant matters cannot be taken to court, however students ages 5 and under with truant matters may be dropped from the roster. For cumulative unexcused absences of 10 or more, your child may be dropped from the roster. Dropping a student is neither expulsion or punitive.
Mount Laurel Preschool Program is a full-day 6 1/2-hour program. While we understand that certain circumstances may arise, children are expected to consistently attend the duration of the school day. Children in attendance for less than 4 hours of the 6 1/2-hour program may be considered absent from school. For cumulative partial day absences, your child may be dropped from the roster. Dropping a student is neither expulsion or punitive.
The district will make every effort to work with parents to support their child's attendance in school. Children with IEPs will be pursued through truancy when appropriate and will not be dropped from the program.
2024-2025
2024-2025 Preschool Schedule
Adath Emanu-El Early Childhood Center 205 Elbo Lane | 8:45 – 3:15 |
Bright Beginnings 3115 NJ Route 38 - #400 | 9:30 – 4:00 |
Fleetwood Elementary School 231 Fleetwood Avenue | 8:30 – 3:00 |
KinderCare – Larchmont 450 Larchmont Blvd. | 8:30 – 3:00 |
Larchmont Elementary School 301 Larchmont Boulevard | 9:00 – 3:30 |
Lightbridge Academy 4518 Church Road | 8:30 – 3:00 |
Parkway Elementary School 142 Ramblewood Parkway | 9:00 – 3:30 |
Springville Elementary School 520 Hartford Road | 9:00 – 3:30 |
YMCA – Briggs 1001 Briggs Road | 9:00 – 3:30 |
YMCA – Commerce 14000 Commerce Parkway, Suite A/B | 8:30 – 3:00 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cost or tuition for the preschool program?
No. Mount Laurel Schools offers free, full-day preschool for Mount Laurel residents.
Where are preschool classrooms located?
The preschool classrooms are located in Private Provider Childcare Centers throughout the district as well as in 4 elementary schools. Please refer to the chart above for more detail about preschool locations.
Is transportation provided?
Yes, transportation will be provided to all children to and from their preschool program.
Is before and after school childcare provided?
At
Private Provider Childcare Centers, before and after care is available for a fee. Please reach out to your child's assigned center for more information. Transportation cannot be provided for children to attend before and after care at another location. Please click
here for contact information for before and after care at Private Providers.
Mount Laurel School District does not provide before or after school childcare for 3- and 4-year-old students at our
Elementary Schools. Families will need to register with a private provider for childcare, if needed. Transportation will only be provided to private community childcare providers in the school area your child attends. Refer to the daycares located in each school area
here.
When does the program operate?
The preschool program follows the district school calendar for holidays and early dismissal days. Any exceptions will be communicated by the center. Please refer to the school schedules above for start and end times at each location.
What does the daily schedule look like for preschool students?
The daily preschool schedule includes Large Group Meeting Time, Small Group Instruction, Free-Choice Centers, Gross Motor time (outdoors weather-permitting), snack and lunch, and rest/nap time.
Who teaches the inclusive preschool class?
Classes are taught by Certified Teachers and highly-qualified teaching assistants.
What early childhood curriculum is used?
The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. A key feature of this research-based curriculum is the "active participatory learning" process where children make daily choices about their activities and teachers help them cultivate language, fine and gross motor skills, and social skills as they play.
What is the preschool lottery?
The lottery is a standardized process implemented by Mount Laurel Schools when there are more interested families than there are seats available. After a period of open enrollment, all pre-registered families will be entered into the lottery and drawn at random for admission to the program. After available seats for each program are filled, the remaining names will be drawn and added to a waitlist in the order they are drawn.
How do I register multiple siblings or twins in one family?
All preschoolers in a family are registered separately and have an equal chance of being selected in the lottery. If one of the siblings is selected for a seat, the other siblings will automatically be selected as well. A sibling is defined as any of the following who reside in the same household: siblings, half siblings, step siblings and children residing in a family foster home.
My child has an IEP, are they included in the lottery?
Children with special needs/IEPs do not participate in the lottery. As per NJDOE administrative code, children with IEPs will automatically have a seat in our preschool program and receive any and all related services specified in their IEP.
My child is already in the Mount Laurel preschool program. Do I need to register again?
No. Children will automatically roll over to the next grade level.
Where will my child attend school?
While every attempt will be made by the district to place the child at a location in their sending area, placement are decided by the district. Requests for specific locations generally cannot be accommodated.
What type of age-groupings do preschool classrooms have? Why?
Mount Laurel preschool classrooms are multi-age settings for three- and four-year-old children. Ideally, children of both ages will stay with the same adults, in the same room, for a two-year period, creating a "family" type learning environment that includes the children, teachers and parents. Cross-age learning allows for social interaction, modeling, mentoring and leadership among children. A child may accomplish something earlier with support from a more advanced peer while the older child experiences feelings of confidence and compassion (Vygotsky,1962; Vygotsky, 1978; Slavin, 1987). A multi-age setting allows teachers to foster an emotionally secure environment for children to grow, learn, take risks and experience success. While children are developing social skills, learning responsibility and engaging in more complex play, teachers are generally more child-centered, as they must adeptly accommodate individual strengths, interests and needs. The two-year time period helps ensure that teachers, parents and children know each other well and develop a working partnership.
*Please note that there are times when children do need to be moved, but to the greatest extent possible, three-year-old children will remain in the same class for two years.
PRESCHOOL RESOURCES