It’s time for kindergarten and preschool registration for the 2017-18 school year.

Registration and open house are Thursday and Friday, Feb. 23-24, at McDowell Mountain Elementary School, located at 14825 N. Fayette Dr. On Thursday, Feb. 23, registration will be held in the evening from 5:30 to7:30 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 24, it will be held during the day from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and then from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Bring your child along to the registration to meet some of the school’s kindergarten teachers, and for some fun activities/ There will also be school tours with principal Valerie Dehombreux.

McDowell Mountain offers free, full-day kindergarten, and half-day kindergarten is also available for morning instruction. A child needs to be 5 before Sept. 1, 2017, to register. McDowell Mountain’s program includes 350 daily minutes of instructional curriculum. Language and literacy, math, social studies, and science are all taught along with special area classes in music, art, PE, and technology.

A birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of residency will be needed upon registration for all children enrolling.

Preschool

Developmental and Community Preschools are both offered for 3- and 4-year-olds and for children who turn five after Aug. 31, 2017.

Developmental preschool is a four-day program either in the morning or afternoon for children who are delayed in areas of development (such as speech/language, motor skills, social-emotional, cognitive, or adaptive skills). Tuition-paid peer model students provide positive peer interactions, demonstrate play skills and model appropriate language and behavior for children with special needs while in the classroom setting.

Community preschool is a tuition-based program and First Things First scholarships are available for families who financially qualify. Students may sign up for five half days of preschool in the mornings or five half days of preschool in the afternoons. The preschoolers also attend special area classes in music, art, PE, and technology.

For more information on any of these programs, contact the McDowell Mountain office at 480-664-5212 or 480-664-5211.