Eligibility Requirements                             PreK Info                              Resource Links

All children are now required to attend kindergarten before entry into first grade.  For 2019-20, children must begin school if they are six (6) years old prior to July 1, 2019.
They should register at the school in which they will attend kindergarten.

No child can be registered without (1.) original birth certificate; (2.) immunization card or some other written from signed by a physician or the county health nurse, certifying that the child has been successfully immunized for the following diseases: diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and varicella.

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 (5) years old by July 1 of the current school year (July 1, 2019 for the 2019-2020 school year).

All children entering kindergarten for the first time must have two (2) MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shots, three (3) Hepatitis B shots and two (2) varicella shots, four (4) – five (5) DTap shots, three (3) –four (4) IPV shots and a physical/health and dental check prior to attending school.  A booster vaccine is required after the age of 4 years for both the Dtap and IPV vaccine.  Immunizations can be obtained at the Hampshire County Health Department in Augusta or the student's medical provider.         

Preschool Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to enter PreK, a child must be four (4) years old by July 1 of the current school year (July 1, 2019 for the 2019-2020 school year).

All four (4) year olds need the following shots to enter Preschool:  One (1) MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shot,  three (3) Hepatitis B shots, one (1) varicella shot, four (4) DTap shots, three (3) IPV shots.   Physical/health checks/dental screenings are required prior to attending PreK.  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 and dental 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

PreK recruitment is held each year in January and February at all elementary schools and EACHS Head Start.  If you miss these dates, please  check with your local school or call the Hampshire County Board of Education at 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 & Blind and all Hampshire County elementary schools.

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

Hampshire County Universal PreK Application  - which includes a list of required documentation.
(Alternate PreK Application in PDF format fillable on computer).

(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 which has openings.)

EACHS Head Start offers a preschool program for three (3) year old children and four (4) year old children.  Children must be three (3) years old prior to July 1 or four (4) years old prior to July 1 of the current school year.

Hampshire County Universal Preschool program serves children who are four (4) years old prior to July 1 of the current school year. 

Some three (3) year olds are placed in the Hampshire County Preschool classrooms if they have been identified with delays in two (2) areas.  For more information please call Hampshire County Schools Special Education Office at 304-822-3528 ext. 190.

You will need to bring the following items to registration:

• original birth certificate
• proof of residency
• up-to-date immunization record
• proof of income
• health and dental screening forms completed by physician/dentist within the last 12 months. 
• the child's Social Security card

Tine Test

Kindergarten and first-grade students who have been residents of West Virginia will complete a 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.

• Certified WV Birth Certificate Application

• Online links to all state agencies for Birth Certificates,  or choose a PDF printable list.
• Hampshire County Health Department in Augusta 
• How to Get or Replace a Social Security Card
• Dental Screening Form - required at first entry in PreK & K
• Physical Screening Form - required at first entry in PreK & K

For further Infomation call Deb Hartsock, PreK-8/Title I Director of at  304-822-3528, ext. 141.

Great Resource for young children in WV from the DHHR:  Help Me Grow - West Virginia - http://www.dhhr.wv.gov/helpmegrow/Pages/default.aspx - includes FREE referral service that connects families with critical developmental resources for their children birth through five years. The goal of Help Me Grow is to successfully identify children at-risk and link them to the help they need.