State Preschool
State Preschool General Information
The Lincoln Unified Preschool Program has been designed to enable children to set their own goals and to work toward accomplishing these goals. We offer students opportunities within a carefully planned daily routine to work and play independently, make choices, pursue their own interests, and problem solve throughout the process. Children in the Lincoln Unified Preschool Program are assisted, guided and supported by adults who are aware of their developmental needs, and who will focus on the children's choices and decisions, strengths and areas of need.
Days of Operation
The half-day preschool program operates on the same calendar as the K-12 program and observes the same holidays and vacations; the half-day preschool program begins and ends school on the same days as the Lincoln Unified elementary and high school sites.
Hours
The hours of operation for the a.m. classes are 8:00-11:00. The hours of operation for the p.m. classes are 12:00-3:00.
Staff
Each preschool class of 24 children is staffed with one Lead Preschool Instructor, one Associate Preschool Instructor and one Paraprofessional. The Instructors and Paraprofessionals at each site meet all qualifications established by the Early Education and Support Division of the California Department of Education.
State Preschools Enrollment and Eligibility Requirements
A parent can enroll a child in a half-day preschool class by completing the following steps:
- Obtain a Lincoln Unified Eligibility application by visiting Lincoln Unified's Early Childhood Office or by calling 953-8731; click here to add your information to our waiting list.
- Families will be called for an appointment in rank order.
- Families will fill out and sign the forms in the enrollment packet.
- Stipulate that the child will be three years of age on or before December 1st of the school year and that your child should be toilet trained.
Please arrive on time for your appointment and allow 30 minutes to complete the process. Please bring with you:
- PG&E bill or printed document with name and address of applicant verifying residence in Lincoln Unified School District;
- Recent check stubs showing the family's total gross monthly income meets the income ceiling set by state and federal guidelines; (See chart below)
- Up-to-date immunization records.
Birth certificates for all children in the family. - Photo Identification
Priority Order for Services and Waiting List Placement for State Preschool Program
The first priority for service shall be given to California State Preschool Program (CSPP) three-year-old or CSPP four-year-old children who are recipients of Child Protective Services (CPS), who are at risk of being neglected, abused or exploited and for whom there is written referral from a legal, medical or social service agency. Title 5 regulations and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act also ensure California State Preschool Program (CSPP) prioritize enrollment for homeless children.
Second priority for service shall be given to all three- and four-year-old children with disabilities whose family’s income is at or below the income eligibility threshold. Within this priority, children from families with the lowest income at the time of enrollment shall be enrolled first. Second priority applies to children with disabilities enrolling outside of the mandated enrollment set aside.
Third priority for service shall be given to eligible CSPP three- and four- year-old children, not enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten (TK). This priority does not include children eligible based on having disabilities if they are from families with incomes above the income eligibility threshold. Within this priority category, children from families with the lowest income at the time of enrolment shall be enrolled first. If two or more families have the same income ranking, the child that is a dual language learner shall be admitted first. If there are no children that are dual language learners, the child that has been on the waiting list the longest shall be admitted first.
Fourth priority for service shall be given to children from families whose income is no more that 15 percent above eligibility income threshold. Children from families enrolled under this eligibility category may not exceed 10% of the total enrollment. Children with disabilities do not count toward the 10% limitation. Within this priority, children shall be enrolled in the following order:
- Three- and four- year-old children with disabilities interested in enrolling beyond those already enrolled in the percent of funded enrollment set aside.
- Three- and four- year-old children without disabilities shall be enrolled in income ranking order.
- If two or more families have the same income ranking, the child that has been on the waiting list for the longest time shall be admitted first.
After all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled, children who meet the following requirements may be enrolled:
- CSPP Neighborhood School sites operating within the attendance boundaries of a qualified free and reduced priced meals (FRPM) school, may enroll three- and four-year-old children whose families reside within the attendance boundary of the same qualified FRPM elementary school. These families shall, to the extent possible, be enrolled in income ranking order, lowest to highest.
- Children with disabilities that are not income eligible may be enrolled.
Please Note: If an opening at a particular site is offered to a parent on the prioritized waiting list, and the parent declines placement in order to wait for an opening at another site, that parent may lose his/her place on the prioritized wait list.
Choosing a Site
Once it has been determined that an applicant is eligible for the preschool program, the parent may choose any site where an opening exists. Each preschool serves a district-wide population; there are no neighborhood boundaries for preschools. It must be noted, however, that enrollment in a preschool located at a particular elementary school in no way ensures that the child will be able to attend kindergarten at that elementary school. Our goal is to place you at the elementary school site you will most likely be attending for kindergarten.
