Pre-k Program Information & Registration
Parents/Guardians with Children Under Age 5
ESM offers pre-kindergarten programs for children ages 1-4. Interested parents should register now as some programs have limited space.
Age 1-3 Pre-k Programs:
All parents with an eligible child on the census list will be mailed an application for the 1- 2- or 3-year old program. Parents/guardians who do not receive an application or are not sure if their child is on the census list may contact Maureen Burlingame, Registration/Census Clerk, at registration@esmschools.org or 315-434-3011 on school days from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Enrollment is limited, so parents are encouraged to complete and return the application as soon as possible. You may also fill out this form (link) and we will contact you.
4-year-old Programs:
Parents must contact ESM to register their child in a 4-year-old pre-k program for fall 2024. Children must be 4 on or before Dec. 1, 2024.
- Half-Day Pre-k: Register now for morning & afternoon sessions starting in the fall of 2024. Transportation routing determines if your child will attend in the morning or afternoon.
- Full Day Pre-k: Families interested in full day pre-k must register by April 5, 2024. We have a limited number of openings in our full-day program. If the number of family pre-k applications exceeds the number of openings, the district will conduct a lottery drawing where children will be selected at random. Parents/guardians whose children are selected for the full day program will be mailed an acceptance letter by April 30. Those students not selected through the lottery drawing will automatically be enrolled in the half-day program.
Register for half or full day pre-k by contacting Maureen Burlingame, Registration/Census Clerk, at registration@esmschools.org or 315-434-3011 on school days from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You may also fill out this form (link) and we will contact you to complete your registration. (Completing this form is NOT registering)
Eligibility for 4-year-old programs: To be eligible for the 4-year old pre-k programs in the 2024-25 school year, children must:
- Be 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2024;
- Be an ESM school district resident; and
- Have all required immunizations
- Students cannot ride the bus until they are age 4.
- Adults (persons over age 18) must put pre-k students on and take them off the bus.
Census List for Newborn to Age 5 children:
Put your newborn to age 5 child on our “Census List.” You’ll receive future information on pre-k & kindergarten from the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District. Even if your child will attend a private, parochial or home school, please get on the list to help us plan for future transportation needs & other services. Please fill out this form (link) and we will contact you about being added to the census list.
Information videos:
Watch our video overview of the 4-year-old program (link) to learn more about the program for children our half and full day pre-k programs. NOTE: This video was created in 2022, so disregard any deadlines/other dates mentioned...the content will give you an overview of the program.
Check out this video overview of the 3-year-old program (link)
More About Our Full Day Pre-K Program
ESM started offering full day pre-kindergarten in 2022-23 with a limited number of slots in the program. New York State awarded dedicated funding to ESM for this expansion. ESM continues to offer half-day pre-k to any families wanting that option. When registering your child, please indicate half day or full day pre-k.
Per New York State, if the number of full day pre-k applications exceeds the number of available openings there will be a random lottery drawing to determine enrollment. Those who do not get selected for the full day program will have the opportunity for their child to automatically be enrolled in half day pre-k.
If you have questions about the actual pre-k program, contact Park Hill School at 315-434-3800.
