Preschool (Pre-K) & Kindergarten Entrance

Call the Hampshire County Board of Education at 304-822-3528, ext. 141, if additional information is needed or you have questions.

  • Kindergarten registration is only for those students not currently enrolled in Preschool
  • Preschool Students must be 4 years old prior to July 1, 2023 for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Kindergarten students must be 5 years old prior to July 1, 2023 for the 2023-24 school year.

Kindergarten & Pre-K Entrance Information

All children are now required to attend kindergarten before entry into first grade. Children must begin school if they are five years old prior to July 1 of the upcoming school year. They should register on the one of the published open registration dates or (if not possible) at the school in which they will attend kindergarten. No child can be registered without:

  • An original birth certificate
  • Immunization card or some other written form signed by a physician or the county health nurse, certifying that the child has been successfully immunized for the following diseases:
    • Diphtheria
    • Hepatitis B
    • Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
    • Polio
    • Tetanus
    • Varicella
    • Whooping Cough

Please note that children currently attending preschool in Hampshire County will not need to register for kindergarten as it will automatically be done at the school.

Kindergarten Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to enter Kindergarten, a child must be five years old by July 1 prior to the opening of the current school year.

All children entering kindergarten for the first time must have the following prior to attending school:

  • Two MMR shots
  • Two Varicella shots
  • Three Hepatitis B shots
  • Three to four IPV shots
  • Four to five DTaP shots
  • A physical/health and dental check

A booster vaccine is required after the age of four years for both the DTaP and IPV vaccines. Immunizations can be obtained at the Hampshire County Health Department in Augusta (phone: 304-496-9640) or the student's medical provider.

Preschool Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to enter Pre-K, a child must be four years old by July 1 prior to the opening of the current school year.

All four-year-olds need the following shots to enter Preschool:

  • One MMR shot
  • One Varicella shot
  • Three Hepatitis B shots
  • Three IPV shots
  • Four DTaP shot

Physical/health checks/dental screenings are required prior to attending Pre-K. Immunizations can be obtained from your child's primary health care provider or at the Hampshire County Health Department in Augusta.

Important - A completed physical (PDF) and dental (PDF) screening must be on file at the school before a child can attend Pre K or Kindergarten in Hampshire County and a follow-up dental exam is recommended prior to K+.. If the school does not have this information on file, the child will not be able to attend. (If a child did not attend Pre K, the screening information must be given to the school secretary before the first day of Kindergarten in August.)

Preschool Registration

Pre-K recruitment is held each year in January, February and April. If you miss the published dates, please check with your local school or call the Hampshire County Board of Education by calling 304-822-3528, ext. 141, to apply to enroll children into the Hampshire County Universal Pre-K program. The Hampshire County Universal Pre-K classroom sites are located at EACHS Head Start, West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind and all Hampshire County elementary schools if registration numbers warrant it.

Application

This application must be completed for consideration for admittance to Pre-K. Applications are scored using needs-based criteria and scores will determine placement as space is limited.

Parents should indicate their first 3 preferences for Pre-K school locations on the last page of the application. When a school site has reached capacity, children may be assigned to a different site that has openings.

EACHS Head Start

EACHS Head Start offers a preschool program for three-year-old children and four-year-old children. Children must be three years old prior to July 1 or four years old prior to July 1 of the school year in which they apply.

Hampshire County Universal Preschool Program

Hampshire County Universal Preschool program serves children who are four years old prior to July 1 of the current school year.

Some three-year-olds are placed in the Hampshire County Preschool classrooms if they have been identified with delays in two areas. For more information please call Hampshire County Schools Special Education Office at 304-822-3528, ext. 190.

Registration

You will need to bring the following items to registration:

  • Original birth certificate
  • Proof of residency
  • Up-to-date immunization record
  • Proof of income
  • The child's Social Security card
  • Health and dental screening forms completed by physician/dentist within the last 12 months - 

 Parent Enrollment Checklist (PDF) 

Tine Test

Kindergarten and first-grade students who have been residents of West Virginia will complete a Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment Form which is in the enrollment packet. If indicated from the assessment form, the student will be referred to the Health Department to determine if a TB Tine test is indicated.

Helpful Information & Links

Great Resource for young children in West Virginia from the Department of Health and Human Resources:  Help Me Grow - West Virginia - includes free referral service that connects families with critical developmental resources for their children from birth through five years of age. The goal of Help Me Grow is to successfully identify children at-risk and link them to the help they need.

For further Infomation call Patty Lipps, Pre-K through 8th grade Curriculum/Title I Director at 304-822-3528, ext. 141.