Preschool Program

The St. Joseph School District offers multiple opportunities to participate in an Early Learning classroom experience.

This program is designed to honor the nature of learning for young children. Children learn and grow in developmental stages. They learn best when actively interacting with others and with materials that are interesting to them. Children make predictable errors on the road to learning, and they require multiple opportunities for learning to become embedded.

Active family involvement is an integral part of the program. Families are the first and most consistent teachers that children experience in their lives. Children will make the most progress when families and teachers work together. An early childhood teacher and para-professional will plan age-appropriate learning experiences to promote growth and development in the classroom and at home.

Returning Students

STOP: Snap Code Required to Complete

If your student attended school in the St. Joseph School District on the last day of the school year, you will receive a snap code either through email or regular mail. Once you receive this code, you may access the online enrollment system. These codes will be sent out in July.

If you do not receive your code by mid-July, contact the SJSD Enrollment Center at 816-671-4115 or the office of your child's school.

Once you receive your student’s snap code, begin the returning student enrollment process or use the individual link included in the enrollment email if you received one. It is important that if your student is returning to the St. Joseph School District from the previous year that you DO NOT fill out the New Student Enrollment form.

Returning Student Enrollment English

Returning Student Enrollment Spanish

New Students

If you are interested in enrolling your child in our free preschool program, please complete the steps below:
(Skip to step 3 if your child has completed a screening in 2023)

If you have any questions, about the enrollment process contact the St. Joseph School District Enrollment Center at 816-671-4115 or email enrollmentcenter@sjsd.k12.mo.us

New Student Enrollment English

New Student Enrollment Spanish

Enroll in the St. Joseph School District by clicking the link above.
Complete Early Childhood Interest Form.
Complete the Screening Appointment Request Form.
- Someone will be in touch with you to schedule an appointment.
- Bring your child's immunization record, birth certificate, and proof of residency with you to the screening appointment. You will also complete registration paperwork during the screening appointment. Click here to view Missouri preschool immunization requirements.
- If your child qualifies for placement, you will be contacted with further instructions. You will also be notified if they do not qualify.

Handbooks

Preschool Attendance

Lake Contrary

Morning Session (Monday-Thursday)
7:45 AM - 10:45 AM
Afternoon Session (Monday-Thursday)
11:50 PM - 2:50 PM
Full Day Session (Monday-Friday)
7:45 AM - 2:50 PM

Mark Twain

Morning Session (Monday-Thursday)
7:45 AM - 10:45 AM
Afternoon Session (Monday-Thursday)
11:50 PM - 2:50 PM
Full Day Session (Monday-Friday)
7:45 AM - 2:50 PM

Early education is so important to long-term school success. At SJSD preschool, your child will build skills in literacy & math. They will learn to solve problems and make friends. They will become stronger and gain control in motor tasks. But your preschooler will only gain these benefits if he attends regularly. Preschoolers who miss just two days per month reach kindergarten at lower levels of readiness and by 2nd grade, chronic absence has an impact on reading proficiency.

Some absences are unavoidable. Young children do get sick, especially when they first start school. If you are having difficulty getting your child to school because of something besides sickness, please reach out to us. If we see that your child is frequently absent, we will reach out to you to find out if we can help.

Bus Transportation

Transportation
The St. Joseph School District is offering transportation to all preschoolers with First Student. To facilitate this process, the children have been placed in classrooms according to their home or alternate busing address. We anticipate that most children will be riding the bus. If you choose to transport your preschooler, she/he will still be placed in preschool according to your home address.

If you transport your child, we require that you follow building arrival and dismissal plans.

Special Education

Young students who have identified developmental delays may be eligible to attend classes that provide early childhood special education. These children, ages three through pre-kindergarten, demonstrate a need for Individualized Educational Programs (IEP). The St. Joseph School District offers a variety of classrooms with ECSE staff, and children are placed in classrooms based on their strengths, needs and goals.

Children will still need to complete the screening process.

Developmental Stages

Developmental Stages of Play
Play is an important part of a child's development. Through play, children explore and learn about their world as well as developing imagination, creativity, social skills, and problem solving skills. It is important to remember that children move through the different levels of play at different rates. Personality traits as well as life experiences affect children's movement through the stages of play.

Developmental Math Concepts
Early development of number concepts is critical in developing positive attitudes about mathematics at an early age. In addition to the these concepts, don't forget that patterning, sorting, classifying, and measuring are also great math skills to practice before kindergarten.

Stages of Art
From the moment a child begins to make markings on paper, he begins the first in a series of developmental stages that will continue throughout their life. All children go through these stages, yet the pace differs with each individual child.

Stages of Writing
These stages represent a way of looking at writing development in young children. All stages overlap and children progress and reach writing stages at many different ages. The development of early writing skills is another aspect of your child's emergent literacy development. Regardless of which stage your child is at, writing development can be enhanced through being encouraged to write on a regular basis.