Is preschool required in georgia?

Question

I grew up in Iowa, and never went to preshchool. I turned out fine, was in the talented and gifted program and they wanted to skip me 2 grades when i was in 4th grade. I pretty much got all straight A's until I decided to quit trying, and settled for just getting by in high school. My son is now 4 years old, and I didn't know how far in advance you had to register for pre-kindergarten here in Georgia, and I missed the deadline by about 6 months. Is it required for georgia kids to go through preschool, or will he still be able to go to kindergarten next year? He's my first, and I come from a small town where you go 2 weeks before classes start to register, so I was not aware of the huge difference in time between registration, and actually starting the classes.

Answer 1

It's not required for your child to go to preschool. My son is 4 and won't be going to school until kindergarden.

Answer 2

The state-funded preschool programs in Georgia always fill up very quickly as soon as registration begins.  It's not required, though, so don't worry about it.

Head Start, a federally-funded program, doesn't fill up as quickly and has virtually the same academic and social program as the state-funded preschool.  They are starting  RIGHT  NOW  (and there's at least one in every county) so inquire immediately if you're interested.

Children can enter kindergarten without going to any preschool first.  They just have to have their 5th birthday by a certain date in August.  (Sorry, I forget the exact date.)  However, so many children do attend preschools that a child who does not may be at a slight disadvantage.

Answer 3

You dont have to attend preschool in Ga, but it is free, the lottery pays for it.   get the headstart, let them adjust to it 4 hours a day.