FAQ

• What age does my child need to be to enter your program? For Early Head Start (EHS), your child will need to be 6 weeks old to three years. For Head Start (HS), your child will need to be 3 or 4 before September 1st. For Georgia Pre-K, your child will need to be 4 years old before September 1st. 
• What days of the week do the children attend your program? Monday through Friday.
• What time do classes begin and end each day?  Student's hours are 7:45 am - 2:30 pm. This is for all programs.
• Do you have extended or after hours (if this is needed)? Unfortunately, no. 
• Do you follow the same calendar as the local school systems? Yes. For the most part, we follow the Hall County School System's calendar. We do not follow Gainesville City's calendar. If there are any differences in our calendar, notice will be given to our parents.
• How do you notify parents of last minute school closings due to inclement weather or other? This information can be found on hallco.org and also by watching the local news for closings. If Hall County Schools are closed, we are closed. 
• Who is eligible for the program? Both the EHS and the Head Start programs are income eligible program and eligibility is determined at the time of application. We are allowed to have a certain percentage of over-income students, but this is very small. The GA Pre-K program is not an income based program. Children are selected by a lottery drawing.
• What is the cost of your program? If your child is accepted into any of our programs, there is no cost.
• What other expenses will be involved throughout the school year? There are no other expenses for our EHS and Head Start programs. GA Pre-K students are subject to paying for school lunches. This is based on income and is determined before the students begin attending. The only expense families might experience is for school pictures but this is completely a voluntary purchase.
• Will the children go on “out of school” fieldtrips? No.
• How many students will be in my child’s classroom? Early Head Start classrooms have 8 students. Head Start classes have between 17. Partnership classes are 20. Pre-K classes have 22 students.
• How many teachers will be in my child’s classroom? Each Head Start and GA Pre-K classroom has a lead teacher and an assistant teacher.

• What are your policies about illness and keeping children home? Children with a fever of 101.0 and higher will be sent home. The children must be fever-free for 24 hours without being given any medication.
• Do you have a website I can go to for additional information?  Yes. You can read more on the Head Start/EHS and GA Pre-K programs by going to this website: Head Start Office of Administration, Bright From the Start (GA Pre-K)
• Is there is a waiting list and how do I get on it? EHS and Head Start are required to have a waiting list. In order to be added to this, parents must apply with one of our Family Partners. The waiting list order is based on priority points that are determined at the time of application. For the GA Pre-K program, once the names of the children have been drawn for the Pre-K classes, the children that are not drawn for the classroom are automatically placed on a waiting list and drawn in a first come first serve basis. Parents that miss putting their child in for the drawing can come to the Butler Center and fill out a wait list form and the child will be added to the current wait list.

• How will I be notified if an opening comes up? Once an opening becomes available, our Family Partners will contact the next family on the wait list by either phone, text or email. 
• What is the cost to get on your waiting list? There is no cost to get on the waiting list.
• What do I need to send with my child, if accepted into the program? There is so much equipment at each center to play with, there is no reason to bring things from home. Each child will have his/her own cubbie. Please label blankets, coats, sweaters or any other clothing that might be taken off or lost. Children should have an extra set of clothing appropriate to the season in case of an accident. We encourage the children to come with appropriate footwear (close-toed shoes). We go outside with the children daily for at least one hour. Please dress your child appropriately for the weather so he/she will not miss the fun! Keep in mind that children play actively inside. They are often on the floor or into something messy such as paint, playdough, glue, or water. If your child’s clothes are suitable, they do not have to worry about getting dirty and can have more fun. Children should not bring any food to the center. Nutritious meals are provided as part of the program. 
• When do you not take the children outside to play? The only time we will not take the children outside is when it's raining, when the temperature is below 32° and/or a windchill is at or below 15°, or when the heat index is at or above 90°.
• What is the difference between Head Start and Pre-K? The only real difference between Head Start and Georgia Pre-K is that Head Start is a federally funded program where participants must be income eligible and Georgia Pre-K is funded by the state lottery with no income requirements. The curriculum for both programs is identical. For more information, please see our Head Start and GA Pre-K pages.