The district’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is still taking applications for parents interested in enrolling their four-year-old in this free preschool program.
Dearborn Schools has 640 spots for GSRP across 14 sites in the district. As of mid August 2022, some space was still available at Cotter, Long, Henry Ford, McCollough/Unis, Oakman, Salina Elementary and Whitmore Bolles.
The classrooms at Becker, McDonald, River Oaks, William Ford, Lowrey and Geer Park are full, but parents from those schools and any other Dearborn School can enroll their child to attend at the Cotter Early Childhood Center or other available location.
GSRP is a state-funded preschool program students can participate in at no cost to eligible families. To be eligible, children need to be turning four years old by Dec. 1, 2022. Preference will be given to students who will be four by Sept. 1, 2022 because those students will qualify for kindergarten next year, but the program will accept students with birthdays between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1, if space is available.
GSRP serves low-income and working class families who are below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. For the current school year, the income guidelines allow a family of four earning up to $66,250 a year, or $5,521 a month to qualify for the program.
Enrollments are handled through Cotter. Parents can call the school at 313-827-6150 to schedule a time to pick up or submit an enrollment form. Cotter, Salina Elementary, McCollough Elementary, Oakman Elementary and Long will also be open for enrollments from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sept. 1 and 7. Visit the Cotter School webpage to learn more about GSRP. The first day of school for GSRP is Sept. 21.
To apply, students must live with a parent or legal guardian within the Dearborn Public School District.
GSRP classes are generally 16 students with two adults, including a certified early childhood specialist. Classes meet for a full school day from Monday through Thursday. Times vary slightly by building, but are similar to the elementary school schedule. The program meets detailed state requirements using the Highscope Curriculum for how and what students learn.