Leer en español

Valentine's Day is here and that means we wanted to share with you some of the reasons why we LOVE MECK Pre-K!

• Pre-K teachers are great. MECK Pre-K teachers are qualified educators ready to meet the demands of early childhood education. Every classroom is taught by licensed teachers and assistant teachers.
• Pre-K teaches important lessons. Teaching our children important life lessons is essential for their growth and success. Whether it’s honesty, responsibility, or time management, instilling these values can help them navigate the world. Your child can develop these skills even further in a high quality pre-K program.
• Pre-K supports literacy. Reading is a fundamental skill that plays a significant role in your child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. By mastering reading, your little one will gain access to a world of knowledge, imagination, and creativity.
• Pre-K builds self-esteems and confidence. MECK Pre-K can help your child build confidence. We recommend that you start thinking about pre-K as your child approaches the age of four. Pre-K is important to childhood development because it helps a young child build a solid foundation of self-esteem and confidence.

Visit our blog page to read through even more reasons to love MECK Pre-K!

Enroll for the 2024-2025 School Year Today!

Registration is now open for the 2024-2025 school year. All children residing in Mecklenburg County who will be four years old on or before August 31, 2024 are eligible. Find out what you need to apply by visiting the Enrollment page on our website.

Is your child not old enough for pre-K?

You can sign up to be notified when registration opens for your child's school year. Visit our Future MECK Pre-K Student Page to register.

What are the three public pre-K programs?

MECK Pre-K

• Open to all four-year old children who live in Mecklenburg County.
• Classrooms are located in high-quality community-based child development centers.
• No income requirement.

Bright Beginnings

• Serves four-year old students with demonstrated academic need.
• Classrooms are located in Charlotte Mecklenburg elementary schools.
• No income requirement.

NC Pre-K

• Eligibility is based on family size, gross income, and other qualifying indicators.
• Classrooms are located in high quality, community-based child development centers.
• Family gross income must be at or below 75% of the State Median Income level.

Here's what one of our teachers had to say about the importance of a pre-k education:

Parents! we would love to hear from you. How is MECK Pre-k assisting in your child's development? share your story on our Testimonial Page!

MECK Pre-K in the Classroom

Here are a few highlights from some of our MECK Pre-K classrooms over the past few weeks.

Students went on a bowling trip as part of their ball study for this month.

Students learned about signs. They learned what signs meant, how to read them and why they are important.

Former WNBA player Andrea Stinson visited our students and together walked through a student made Black history museum to celebrate Black History Month!

Help Spread the Word

About MECK Pre-K!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn and share our posts! You can find even more ways to talk about MECK Pre-K on our Partner Toolkit Page.

MECK Pre-K is Celebrating Black History Month!

It's Black History Month and we are happy to celebrate the achievements and central role of African Americans in the US.

Our classrooms celebrate in many ways, through readings, visits from local figures and projects to learn about the importance of Black History.

Follow our social media channels to see how our students will be celebrating!

Here are two suggestions for readings based on two topics covered in the classroom so far:

Clothing: Me and The Boss: A Story About Mending and Love by Michelle Edwards and illustrated by April Harrison Read aloud available here.

Buildings: The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier and illustrated by Sonia Sanchez and available in Spanish Read aloud available in English here and in Spanish here.

You can find these books at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library!

What is Phonemic Awareness and Why is it Important?

Phonemic and phonological awareness are important to develop language and reading skills.

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate spoken parts of words. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

Teachers in early childhood education focus on these skills to develop our students and prepare them for a successful start to kindergarten.

Mecklenburg County Budget Survey

As you may know, MECK Pre-K is a County-funded service. Mecklenburg County is now conducting its Resident Budget Priority Survey for Fiscal Year 2025. We hope you will take a moment to complete the survey and provide your comments on MECK Pre-K and other County-funded services.