Pre-K and Little Cats
To enroll your child in Pre-K, call our enrollment center today!
Students who are turning four years old on or before September 1, 2023 are eligible to attend pre-kindergarten. Spots are limited and there will be a lottery to place eligible students in classrooms.
Pre-kindergarten classes are free to any student living within the city limits of Dalton. Students who live outside the city limits of Dalton must pay out-of-district tuition.
Dalton Public Schools has pre-kindergarten classrooms at all six of its elementary schools. The district enrolls approximately 250 pre-kindergarten students each year.
Pre-kindergarten classes have been shown to increase language and literacy skills, boost confidence in students and increase test scores. Pre-kindergarten classes follow the same schedule as elementary school classes. Students learn how to behave in a classroom setting, work with their peers and adjust to a school schedule. By the time a student graduates from pre-kindergarten, they are fully prepared and ready for kindergarten.
To register for pre-k, you will need to. visit our enrollment office in-person located at 101 N Thornton Ave. Parents should bring the student's birth certificate, social security card, Immunization Certificate (Georgia Form 3231), Eye, Ear and Dental Exam Certificate (Georgia form 3300), proof of residence (utility bill or lease agreement), and a Medicaid or Peach Care card (Pre-K only), if applicable.
For more information, please call 706-876-4000 and select option two for enrollment.
Little Cats
Did you know that Dalton Public Schools offers free preschool community classes to serve both the parent and child? Our Little Cats program serves children in between the ages of three and four years old that are not currently attending a GA Pre-K program.
Little Cats is a bilingual, two-generation program to educate parents with their children in educational strategies of playing, reading and talking with their 3 and 4-year-old children through basic literacy and numeracy skills, fine and large motor skills in preparation to be ready for Pre-K or Kindergarten.
Focused on DPS families on the Pre-K wait list, the program meets once a week for about 3.5 hours a day. The classes are led by DPS Family Engagement Coordinators who work closely with the families to support academic enrichment. A usual day in Little Cats consists of the parent and child working together (parent must be present at all times) through story and circle time, music and movement, small group activities in literacy, math and science and active play opportunities to develop gross and fine motor skills.
Three Locations:
MACK GASTON COMMUNITY CENTER
Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
218 N. Fredrick St. Dalton, GA 30721
ROAN ROUNDHOUSE
Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
400 Vann Circle Dalton, GA 30721
WESTWOOD SCHOOL (Cottage Learning Center)
Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
440 Richardson St.
For more information, please call:
Raquel Cardona (706) 876-4526
Saira Laruy (706) 463-7631
Carmen Nunez (706) 980-3621