4K FAQs

A1: In a community based 4K program, four-year-olds receive pre-kindergarten instruction in a child care center or private/public preschool. A Wisconsin certified licensed teacher, hired by the provider, conducts a two hour and thirty minute program five days a week. A teacher’s assistant helps facilitate learning in each session. School District funds support the 4K program at the child care or private/public preschool site. Families may then choose to have their child(ren) participate in additional private -pay child care or other services provided at day care licensed sites for the rest of the day.

A2: Like K-5 elementary school, 4K is offered at no cost.

A3: Yes, transportation will be provided for those who require it. Generally students requiring transportation will attend the 4K program during an a.m. session.

A4: If parents will be transporting their child to and from the site, they may indicate site preferences on the registration form. We will attempt to honor such preferences, but cannot guarantee a specific site. Also, it is our desire that children who currently attend a given site for childcare remain there for 4K. Registration forms will be time and date stamped so it is important for those indicating a site preference to submit their registration in a timely manner. We plan to notify families of site placement by mail before the end of April.

A5: No, 4K students who ride the bus will ride only with other 4K students, with the exception of 4K students attending 4K at Weston Elementary.

A6: We will require an adult that you deem responsible, have visual contact of your child when picked up or dropped off by the bus. All 4K students will have a wristband with key information listed including busing location and the name of the visual contact person. This wristband will tie to the child’s backpack.

We will ask you to identify that person when you enroll your child. The 4K children will also be required to ride in the front of the bus and they will be checked ON and OFF the bus by the driver and their teacher once at the 4K site. The bus will not drop off your child unless the receiving adult is within close visual contact.

A7: Community based 4K will be held 5 days per week for two hours and forty minutes per day and follows the D.C. Everest calendar.

A8: There are morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session is expected to run from 9:00-11:40 a.m. The afternoon session is expected to run from 12:30-3:10 p.m. Please note that a.m. and p.m. session offerings may depend upon enrollment numbers.

A9: Yes, in August each site will host an open-house for enrolled children. This will be a time for parents and children to visit their classroom and meet their teacher. Parents will receive more information about open-house once enrollments are completed.

A10: At each 4K site, a licensed teacher implements The play-based Preschool in order to provide consistent learning experiences in the areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Language Development, Social-Emotional Development, Cognitive Development, Physical Development, The Arts, and English Language Acquisition.

A11: The curriculum for Preschool is aligned with the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards

(WMELS) as well as with the Common Core State Standards.

A12: Recommended class size is 17 students, however, this may vary depending on the need of our students and the capacity of our 4K Partner Sites. The number of sessions of 4K will be determined by the number of children enrolled in the 4K program district-wide.

A13: The teachers are hired and supervised by the site at which the session is held. Teachers that teach 4K are licensed Wisconsin teachers and must have the appropriate license to teach preschool-aged children.

A14: There will be NO early admission to 4K for the upcoming school year. However, check with area site providers to inquire about other preschool offerings.

A15.1: Weather situations will be addressed using the Emergency/Inclement Weather form completed by parents at the time of registration. If there is early dismissal, the plans on this form will be followed.
A15.2: School closings and delayed starts will be announced with regular district announcements on both television and the District website. If there is a delayed start there will be no 4K sessions. 
A15.3: Each 4K site will have emergency plans that include, fire, tornado, medical, and intruder situations.These procedures will be part of each site’s handbook. 4K staff and students will practice these drills.

A16: Families can begin registering their child in February. We encourage families to enroll their student online.

A17: Parent Outreach is an integral part of the 4K experience and will serve as an important step toward each child’s success in school. It will take on many different forms, some of which are:

• Orientation – before the first day of school.  Classroom helpers/volunteers 
• Literacy nights 
• Curriculum night 
• Cooking 
• Fitness 
• Arts and Crafts 
• Other activities as planned


A18: 4K is a voluntary program and not subject to mandatory attendance. However, we would anticipate that you would send your child to class each day unless your child is ill or otherwise excused.

A19: Yes, there will be before and after day care at most sites. Please inquire about your before and after care needs at the time of registration with the Center Director.

A20: The D.C. Everest School District supports having children progress with same-age peers. However, in unique situations, parents may decide enrollment in 4K is best for their child. In these cases, since the child has reached the minimum age prior to September 1, they will be eligible to enroll in the 4K program. However, it is important for parents to understand that state statutes say their child must complete the 5K program prior to enrolling in grade 1. Therefore, this decision should be made carefully.

A21: In this situation parents would need to apply for “open enrollment.” Parents may apply for open enrollment during the window. Families will be notified by mail if their application has been approved or denied.  Most parents will choose to wait until they find out if their open enrollment application is approved before completing the DCE 4K enrollment forms. However, if a parent chooses to complete the DCE 4K enrollment forms prior to open enrollment approval, they should indicate that their child’s home elementary school is “other district.” In this case enrollment will be held until an approval or denial is issued on the open enrollment application.

A22: Parents will need the original birth certificate to verify name and date of birth, immunization records, and name and phone numbers for doctors, dentists, emergency contacts, etc. 

A23: All 4K Partner Sites determine their own snack policy. You will receive this information at the 4K Site’s Open House in August, or you can contact the Director at your child’s 4K site.

A24: School supplies for the 4K program will be provided.

A:25: No, students may only be a part of the 4K Program for one school year.