The Pre-K lottery application for the 2021-2022 school year will be available on 01/11/2021 at 9:00 a.m. - 03/15/2021 at 11:59 p.m. Seats are filled randomly through an electronic lottery process. The lottery drawing will be held on 03/26/2021. Results from the drawing are emailed to applicants after a verification process is complete. Pending official verification, the release of the lottery results could be delayed. If you have missed the lottery drawing, but are interested in applying for Pre-k, our application will reopen on 4/1/2021 in an attempt to fill any vacancies that remain after the lottery and to generate waiting list.

Program Requirements

  • Child must turn four years old by September 1, 2021.
  • Child must live within the Atlanta Public Schools' attendance zone
  • All APS employees are eligible to apply
  • If you are the parent of twins, triplets, etc., you are required to submit one application per child. Before the lottery drawing takes place, each application will be linked to ensure that they are placed at the same site
  • Applicants must have a valid email address to apply

Process

Applicants can access our online lottery application by visiting https://www.enrollearlyATL.com from 01/11/2021 at 9:00 a.m. - 03/15/2021. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete the application. If you are unable to complete the application in one sitting, you can save your information and return later, but must submit by 03/15/2021 at 11:59 p.m. Lottery applications will NOT be accepted after 03/15/2021 at 11:59 p.m. for any reason.

When completing the application, applicants will be allowed to select a maximum of three different Pre-K sites and should list them in order of preference. Selecting three sites is optional. If you are only interested in one or two sites, leave the other site selection fields blank. Although not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to select your child's zoned school as your first choice. Acceptance into your zoned school creates an easy transition to kindergarten. In addition, school bus transportation services will only be offered to your child if they are accepted into their zoned school and live more than 1 mile away from the school.

Once the lottery results have been verified, each applicant will receive an email informing them of the results. If your child is accepted, your email will contain an invitation to enroll and a list of documentation that you are required to submit. To ensure that you are prepared for enrollment, required documents are listed below. If your child is not accepted, he or she will be placed on the waiting list for your first choice only.



Required Documents

1. Proof of birth (Your child must be four years old on or before September 1, 2020)

Original certified birth certificate; or child’s passport (Copies of these documents are not accepted)

2. Proof of legal guardianship (If applicable)

Only required if your name is not on the child's birth certificate

3. Parent/Guardian proof of identification

Valid state or government issued photo ID, such as a Georgia Driver’s license, or a valid U.S. passport ID

4. Proof of Parent/Guardian Georgia Residency

Mortgage or lease/rental agreement in your name, OR an electric, gas, or water bill in your name; (Cable and phone bills are not acceptable)
**If you are living with someone and you do not have a lease, mortgage or utility bill in your name, you must submit the following: A signed and notarized Affidavit of Residency AND a lease/mortgage statement or utility bill in the name of the person that you are living with AND 3 forms of mail in the name of the child’s guardian showing a matching address to the affidavit. For a copy of the affidavit of residency form, please CLICK HERE.

5. Child’s original Social Security Card OR “Waiver”

If a waiver is needed, it will be provided to you during the enrollment session

6. Proof of income (for Head Start sites ONLY) Click the link below to see if the site(s) that you are interested in is a Head Start partnership site: https://enrollearlyatl.com/page/programs

W2, tax return, SSI income, child support, TANF, or a non-income declaration formIf you did not have any income for the previous year, a non-income declaration form will be provided to you during your enrollment session.
7. Child’s Peachcare card, Medicaid card, or health insurance card

8. Proof of food stamps and/or TANF (If applicable)

9. Immunization Certificate (3231)

10. Vision, Hearing, and Dental Screening Certificate (3300)

If you have questions, please contact the Office of Early Learning at 404-802-3640, prekinfo@atlantapublicschools.us or follow us on Twitter at APS_ OEL

What will my child learn in Pre-K?

Pre-kindergarten addresses all GELDS but places heavy emphasis on the social and emotional development, letter and sound recognition, phonological awareness, language development, retelling story events and details, numbers and quantities and problem solving.