North Branford Public Schools Preschool Program

The North Branford Public Schools Preschool program was launched for the 2017-2018 school year and is housed at Jerome Harrison Elementary School.

The NBPS Preschool Program is partially funded through the CT Smart Start initiative, which is primarily designed to meet the needs of preschool-aged children at-risk due to economic, cultural or other disadvantages. Teaching and learning will be driven by the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CTELDS) and guidelines from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The goal of this early childhood program is to provide experiences that will promote social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive learning and development through a differentiated and integrated program.

Program Specifics:

  • The program is housed at Jerome Harrison Elementary School.

  • The four (4) year old program currently offers participation for 15 students per classroom.

  • At this time, we hope to offer three (3) full day classrooms for four (4) year old students, in the NBPS Preschool program, with 30 priority placement openings per Smart Start criteria.

  • The four (4) year old program follows the school-year calendar and JHS school day (181 days, 9:00am-3:25pm).

  • A half-day (½ day) program will be offered for three (3) year old students, four (4) days per week.  The AM session runs from 9:00-11:35 and the PM session runs from 12:50-3:25.

  • The three (3) year old program follows the school-year calendar, Tuesday - Friday (147 days).

  • Children are expected to attend full sessions each day.

  • Transportation will be provided according to the district’s bussing guidelines.

  • These integrated classrooms are led by PreK certified educators with paraprofessional support.

  • Snacks and lunch will NOT be provided by the district unless the student is eligible for free and/or reduced lunch.

For those families requiring additional childcare, they may apply to our NBPS Family Resource Center for before-school and after-school care for their preschooler (availability dependent on program enrollment and space)

The Family Resource Preschool, a member of the NBPS Preschool Program, is our program that is housed in the Stanley T. Williams building in Northford. This program is a full day preschool program for children ages 3-5 years.

  • Curriculum based program - teaching and learning is centered around the Connecticut Early Learning and Developmental Standards (CTELDS)

  • Strong focus on social/emotional development

  • Children learning through play-based activities

  • Foster all children’s independence

  • Intentional teaching - Teachers are facilitators of the children’s learning

  • Assessment - ongoing system which is linked to curriculum and planning.  Children are assessed using a variety of tools and sources.

  • Developmental Screenings are provided for all families - Ages and Stages 3 (ASQ) and Ages and Stages Social Emotional Questionnaire (ASQ-SE), provided by our Parent Educator.

  • Accessible now through the Sparkler App

  • On-site 7- or 8- week summer camp program for preschoolers and incoming kindergarteners.

NBPS PRESCHOOL APPLICATION PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED

The preschool application period for the 2025-2026 school year closed on February 7, 2025. There is NOT a wait list for those who have not already applied. Please check back here in January 2026 for information about applying for the 2026-2027 school year.

For additional resources, visit the United Way 211 website or call 2-1-1

Eligibility Guidelines for Priority Placement for the 2025-2026 School Year
  1. Child must be a resident of North Branford/Northford.
  2. To be eligible to apply for the full day four (4) year old program, children must be 4 years of age on or before September 1, 2025.
  3. Children who are eligible for Kindergarten are NOT eligible for the JHS Pre-K program.
  4. Applications will be prioritized according to Smart Start Grant requirements:

Children in the following circumstances will be high priority for enrollment: poverty (children who are from families with incomes at or below 75% of SMI or receive free or reduced lunch), homeless, migrant, refugee, violence and neglect (DCF involved, in foster care), developmental delays, and/or challenging parental circumstances (teenage, incarcerated, in treatment for substance abuse, active military service).

  1. All public-school health requirements must be adhered to.
  2. Documentation for the above-mentioned criteria will be required for verification prior to registration.
  3. After priority students are offered a required percentage of enrollments, any available enrollment will be determined and offered based on a lottery system.
  4. Once applications have been approved, screening appointments will be arranged.