Pre-Kindergarten

PreK

2024-2025 Enrollment Opens at 8:00 a.m. Monday, January 8, 2024 

Online enrollment is first-come, first-serve

For in-person appointments contact 913-993-6441

Pre-kindergarten in Shawnee Mission:  Imagine. Explore. Discover  
The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) is proud to offer a Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) program for 4-year-old students living in the district. The district program is developmentally and educationally appropriate and emphasizes students' need for active learning. Teachers provide a stimulating environment of challenging materials and engaging activities essential to the growth and development of each child. Research suggests that a Pre-K program structured around these components will best serve students. 

Pre-K students are exposed to learning experiences that promote social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development. They learn skills such as taking turns cooperatively, sharing, and following directions — all essential components for future social, behavioral, and academic success. 

To attend Pre-K, students must:

  • live within the boundaries of the Shawnee Mission School District
  • be four-years-old on or before August 31 of the year in which they will attend Pre-K 
  • be independent with toileting (fully potty-trained with no more than one accident within a two-week timeframe)

Students who are five-years-old on or before August 31 are not eligible for Pre-K.  

If you are interested in enrolling, here are some steps to determine your options:

1.    Determine what school your child will attend. If you do not know, please use the “School Finder” provided on this webpage: https://www.smsd.org/about/boundary-maps.

2.    Look at the Pre-K options available at the school buildings listed below. If a pre-kindergarten class is not offered at your child’s school yet, there may be a school nearby that does offer the program. Please see the list of sites below.  Please note that if your child attends a school outside of your home attendance area for pre-k, they will not automatically be able to attend a school other than the school of their home attendance for kindergarten (that will require application for a transfer and more information is available here regarding the transfer process for grades K-12).  

3.    Online enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will open at 8 a.m. on January 8, 2024. If you are a new family to the Shawnee Mission School District, click here to access online enrollment. If you already have children enrolled and attending Shawnee Mission schools, you should log into your Skyward Family Access account and select New Student Enrollment to enroll your incoming pre-K or kindergarten student. Enrollment will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Please note: To complete online enrollment, you must use a laptop, tablet, or desktop.  If you do not have access to one of these devices, please make an appointment to enroll in person by contacting the early childhood department at 913-993-6441.)

4.    The following documents will need to be provided as part of the enrollment process:  child's birth certificate and immunization records; proof of residency to include a fully executed lease agreement or mortgage statement and two current utility bills; parent photo identification; and a current physical exam for the child (Information regarding immunizations and physicals can be found here.). 

5.    If you still have questions, please reach out to the contacts listed on the right side of this page.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Shawnee Mission School District will continue to offer fee and no-fee pre-kindergarten options for families. 

No-fee half-day Title I Pre-K option (Qualifications apply - must live in Title I school boundary) offered in the A.M. section at Comanche, Nieman, Rosehill, and Shawanoe. At Merriam Park in both sections, A.M. and P.M.

No-fee half-day grant-funded Pre-K option (Qualifications apply) offered at ApacheIS, Bluejacket-Flint, Brookridge, Broken Arrow, Crestview, Highlands, Lenexa Hills, Rising Star, Roesland, Rushton, and Santa Fe Trail. Also, in the P.M. section at Comanche, Nieman, Shawanoe, and Rosehill.

Tuition-based half-day Pre-K option offered at Bluejacket-Flint, Brookwood, Highlands, Lenexa Hills, Rhein Benninghoven, Roesland, Rushton, and Trailwood.

Pre-kindergarten in Shawnee Mission is a half-day program.  Wraparound care options are available at some sites through third-party partners, Johnson County Parks and Recreation and YMCA.  

The following information is provided to assist families in identifying which option may best fit your needs. 

Is my child eligible for FREE Pre-K?

​To enroll in schools offering free, Title I-funded Pre-K, students must live in the attendance area of a Shawnee Mission Title I school and show an academic need. ​To enroll in free grant-funded locations, students must meet at least one of the following requirements:

  • Family qualifies for the free lunch program.
  • Family qualifies for reduced lunch support (Note: specific locations based on grant requirements).
  • Custodial parent is unmarried on the first day of school.
  • The student has been referred by the Division of Children's Services. The reason of the referral must describe the need for the child to attend Pre-K, and be documented and signed by the DCF agent. 
  • At least one parent was a teen when the student was born.
  • At least one parent is lacking a GED or high school diploma on the first day of school.
  • Student has limited English proficiency based on assessments.
  • Student qualifies for services under the Migrant Education Program.
  • Based on appropriate and valid assessment results, the child has been determined by a trained professional to be lower than expected for his/her chronological age, yet above what would be considered eligible for SPED. Scores that fall at or below the 40th percentile indicated 'at-risk'.
  • Student is experiencing homelessness (must complete qualifying documentation with McKinney-Vento Liaison for school year in which child will enroll). A copy of the certificate of eligibility must be on file.

If my child does not qualify for no-fee Pre-K, what are my options?

In the 2024-2025 school year, the district will offer tuition options at: Bluejacket-Flint, Brookwood, Highlands, Lenexa Hills, Rhein Benninghoven, Roesland, Rushton, and Trailwood. 

What is the cost of the tuition-based Pre-K program?

In 2024-2025, the tuition cost for Pre-K is $3,400.  Tuition will be billed in 10 equal installments of $340.  Tuition is due the first day of each month beginning in August, and continuing through May.     

What are the hours for the Pre-K program?

The district offers a five-day a week, half-day program with morning or afternoon sessions available. See the district calendar for dates when school is not in session. 
The morning session of Pre-K is from 8:10 to 10:55 a.m. The afternoon session of pre-k is from 12:25 to 3:10 p.m.

PreK Painting

Department Contacts

If you have questions or need assistance with pre-K enrollment, please contact Susana Belvedere at  913-993-6441 or susanabelvedere@smsd.org
 
Si necesita asistencia en espanol, por favor comuniquese con Susana Belvedere 913-993-6441 
 
Dr. Leigh Anne Neal
Chief of Early Childhood Education | Sustainability
913-993-6412
 
Susana Belvedere
Executive Secretary for Early Childhood Education 
913-993-6441