Currituck County Schools is proud to offer no-cost preschool services to eligible children who meet the criteria under the NC Pre-K Program and/or the Exceptional Children’s Preschool Program.  

➤The NC Pre-K Program is a state-funded program designed to provide high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible four-year-old children.  Our general education NC Pre-K classrooms are located at Central Elementary School and Griggs Elementary School.  The child must be four years old on or before August 31st of the program year.  A child who meets the age requirement is eligible for NC Pre-K if the child is from a family whose gross income is at or below 75% of the State Median Income (SMI).  Children of certain military families are also eligible without regard to income.  In addition, up to 20% of age-eligible children enrolled may have family incomes in excess of 75% SMI if they have documented risk factors in specific categories including developmental disability, Limited English Proficiency, educational need, or chronic health condition.  Although a child may meet one or more eligibility factors, placement is not guaranteed in an NC Pre-K classroom. Waiting lists exist in counties when funding is not sufficient to serve all eligible children.

➤The Exceptional Children’s Preschool Program serves children from ages 3-5 who are:  

1.    identified as having one or more disabilities, per NC criteria, and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team has determined

2.    there is an adverse effect on the child's educational performance, and 

3.    the child requires specially designed instruction.

Currituck County Schools provides preschool special education services within a variety of delivery options and settings, as determined by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team:

Preschool Itinerant Services are provided to children who are enrolled in a full-time licensed child care facility in Currituck County and whose needs are best met in their regular early childhood program by a skilled interventionist and/or an exceptional children’s teacher.

Walk-In Services are provided for children whose developmental needs are best met in the provider location to receive their skilled interventions and/or specially designed instruction.  

Our Exceptional Children’s Preschool Classrooms, located at Moyock Elementary School, Shawboro Elementary School, Central Elementary School, and Griggs Elementary School, are a component of the Exceptional Children’s Program of Currituck County Schools. Part-time and full-time settings are provided, dependent upon student age and determined IEP services.  Related services are provided during the school day as either pullout or in-class sessions for students who qualify.

All preschool classrooms operated by Currituck County Schools serve students daily and generally follow the K-12 school calendar. The staff includes one full-time classroom teacher and one full-time teacher assistant in each classroom. The students follow a preschool curriculum that is aligned with the NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development.  This developmentally appropriate curriculum capitalizes on children’s current capabilities and modifies activities by providing materials and tasks that increase in complexity as children gain new understanding and skills.  The curriculum provides concrete activities for each child that stimulate all areas of development: cognitive, motor, communication, self-help, and emotional/social. A multisensory approach to instruction is utilized in the classroom setting with the use of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile stimulation techniques.

If you have concerns regarding your child’s development or have questions about the preschool program, please reach out to the Preschool Director for more information at rpalumbo@currituck.k12.nc.us or at 252-722-0777, ext. 1037.