Pre-K

A lifelong love of learning begins with a strong foundation

The Rochester Community Schools early childood programs provide a secure and caring environment that encourage children to grow in curiosity, independence, self-confidence and social skills as they begin their journey of lifelong learning.

Now enrolling for the 2026-27 school year!

Tuition-based Preschool

Educational opportunities

for 3-4-year-old students

RCS early childhood programs use the research-based HighScope preschool curriculum where adults and children are partners in play. Children learn through play-based interactions with the environment and other people.

ENROLL LEARN MORE

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Free Preschool

Pre-K for 4-year-old students through

the Great Start Readiness Program

Michigan's Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is available to RCS children who turn 4 years old by Dec. 1 of that school year. This free, nationally ranked program helps prepare children for kindergarten. For assistance, call 844-456-5437.

APPLY

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Summer Camps

Early childhood summer programs

for children 3-5 years old

Coming this summer! Choose fun, play-based programs designed for young children to explore nature adventures, healthy hearts, art, building or letter and number skills. Each inviting camp session runs from 9 a.m. to noon for four days.

ENROLL

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Parent/Caregiver Information

2025-26 Pre-K and GSRP Calendars

2026-27 Classroom Schedules

Tuition-based Preschool Programs

Registration is open!

Some classes are full and require a waiting list. Call 248-726-4800 for more information.

Section No.	Location /Room #	Days	Times	Age	Tuition
3A330	RCS ECEC Room 5	Monday/Wednesday/Friday	9:00 – 12 :00	3	$3200/year
3A223	Hampton Room 30	Tuesday/Thursday	9:00 – 12 :00	3	$2130/year
3A323	Hampton Room 30	Monday/Wednesday/Friday	9:00 – 12:00	3	$3200/year
3A423	Hampton Room 34	Monday – Thursday	8:30 – 11:30	3	$4260/year
3A216	North Hill Room 1	Tuesday/Thursday	9:00 – 12:00	3	$2130/year
4A316	North Hill Room 1	Monday/Wednesday/Friday	8:30 – 11:30	4	$3200/year
3BA416	North Hill Room 4	Monday – Thursday	8:45 – 11:45	3	$4260/year

Great Start Readiness Program

For tuition-free preschool, students must be years old on or before December 1.

Priority is given to children who will turn four years old by September 1 and meet other criteria.

All registration is done online through Michigan Early Childhood Connect.

Some classes are full and require a waiting list. Call 248-726-4800 for more information.

Section No.	Location /Room #	Days	Times	Age
ECEC-4	RCS ECEC Room 4	Monday - Friday	8:45 – 3:45	4
ECEC-8	RCS ECEC Room 8	Monday - Friday	8:45 – 3:45	4
B-7	Brewster Room 7	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
B-8	Brewster Room 8	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
H-29	Hampton Room 29	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
H-31	Hampton Room 31	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
H-33	Hampton Room 33	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
U-15	U Hills Room 15	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 3:45	4
H-32	Hampton Room 32	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 11:45	4
N-3	North Hill Room 3	Monday - Thursday	8:30 – 11:30	4
N-4	North Hill Room 4	Monday - Thursday	12:45 – 3:45	4
U-6	U Hills Room 6	Monday - Thursday	8:45 – 11:45	4

Family handbooks

Forms

Resources

Licensing

Recall Lists

Frequently Asked Questions

What ages does your program serve?

Do you follow the Rochester Community Schools calendar?

What is your illness policy?

The following policy is taken from our Parent Handbook:

Health Guidelines

Regardless of the precautions taken at home or school, your child may become ill during the course of the school year. If your child becomes ill you will be called and asked to pick up your child. If you are unavailable, we will call someone on your emergency card. The child should be picked up within one hour of being notified. If your child has been absent due to a contagious disease, such as strep throat or pink eye, you may be required to present a doctor's note documenting that the child is able to return to school.

There are times when a child should not be sent to school. These times include when a child has:

A fever (temperature of 100 degrees or more)
- Child must be fever-free for 72 hours (without fever reducing medication) in order to return.
Diarrhea or vomiting
- Child must be symptom-free for 24 hours in order to return.
Discharge or redness of the eyes
Discharge from the ear
Green or yellow discharge from the nose
Persistent or productive cough
Sore throat
Skin rash
Ringworm, lice, hand-foot-mouth or any other communicable disease listed on the Oakland County Health Division Communicable Disease Reference Chart. Exclusion is not necessary unless contact with others could promote spread,

Parents must notify the school if a child has a communicable disease or an extended illness. When applicable, the school will notify families of an illness. A doctor's note for treatment of a communicable disease or an extended illness may be required for re-admittance to school.

What do I do if my family takes an extended vacation while the program is in session?

In the event of an extended vacation you have two options:

Continue to pay tuition to hold your child's spot in the class upon your return.
Withdraw the child from the program. Per the withdrawal policy, a 14-day notice is required. If there is space in your child's class when you return, you may register for the same class by calling the office at 248-726-4800.

A Look Inside our Programs

Curriculum

RCS early childhood programs follow the research-based HighScope Preschool Curriculum that aligns with Michigan’s Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Birth to Kindergarten. In the HighScope curriculum, adults and children are partners in play. Active learning is at the center of education and children gain knowledge through play and interactions with the environment and other people.

Curriculum areas include: approaches to learning; social and emotional development; physical development and health; language, literacy and communication; mathematics; creative arts; science and technology; social studies; and English language learners.

Additional information is available on the HighScope curriculum.

Daily routine pictures

Components of the daily routine are described below.

Greeting time

Children transition into the classroom and typically start their day with greeting time. This may include signing their name, finding a book or partcipating in a quiet activity as they wait for the rest of the group to join. Once everyone has arrived, the whole group gathers for message board to share announcements for the day. This can include new materials, special visitors, group problem-solving and much more!

Large-group time

Children and adults gather as a group to play games, sing songs, learn dances, or play musical instruments. Large-group time provides an opportunity for children to participate in collaborative class activities, sharing and demonstrating their ideas, and understanding the ideas of others. Children take turns as leaders and followers. This provides an opportunity to learn the social skills of imitation, turn-taking, listening to others and group effort. Adults assist children by sitting nearby, making sure they understand how they can participate, and encouraging them to share their own ideas with the larger group.

Teacher and students holding a parachute with balls in the middle

Small-group time

Each adult leader meets with eight-nine children to work on activities planned by the team, to provide some of the key experiences of cognitive growth. Adult leaders plan small-group activities around the interests and abilities of the children, allowing for individual ideas and differences. Group leaders use this time to observe children, expose them to new materials, and help explore new ways of using materials they already know.

GSRP teacher with two students at craft table

Planning time

Adults and children meet together to talk about what each child wants to do and how the child might go about doing it. Children decide for themselves how to use their work time and adults encourage children to express or demonstrate their ideas. Adult leaders help children learn how to identify choices and be responsible for making things happen. They begin to view themselves as individuals who can make decisions and act on them.

boy dressed like poilice officer with stop sign

Work time

Work time is the heart of the preschool day. Children may use the entire classroom to explore, learn new skills, try out ideas, and put together what they know in ways that make sense to them. Adults move among children, observing and helping as needed. During work time, a child and adult may work together on various skills such as fine/gross motor activities or identifying numbers, colors and shapes, for example.

Cleanup time

Children put away the toys and materials they have used during class. They may also wipe tables, wash paint brushes, jars, or cooking utensils, and sweep or vacuum floors. As they sort, pile, stack, empty and fit together materials, they learn where things go and that similar items belong together. This helps them begin to understand the system for finding things they need. Symbols on the shelves stand for real objects, a realization necessary for reading. By sorting items, putting materials back, and cleaning up, children see that cleanup is part of all activities. Adults assist children by encouraging them to tidy up throughout work time, notifying them a few minutes in advance that cleanup time is coming. These clear and consistent signals help define specific individual tasks for children who may have difficulty understanding what steps are involved in the process.

Recall time

Recall time gives children the opportunity to remember and represent what they did during work time. By reflecting on their actions and accomplishments, children can start to develop an awareness of the relationship between their plans and activities. In the process of recalling, children attach language to their actions. Talking about, recalling and representing thoughts and actions may help children evaluate and learn from their experiences. Recalling in a small group helps them learn ideas from each other about things they might like to try.

Preschool teacher and students look at choices on whiteboard

Outside time

Outside time allows children to run, jump, skip, climb, slide, race, hide and dig. Aside from the obvious advantages to their health and well-being, outside time enables children to practice work-time ideas and discoveries outside of the classroom. This period is less restricted and intense than work time. Some otherwise quiet children can open up, talking and working with classmates more freely than they do inside. As they play, adults talk with children and help them solve problems.

Snack/meal time

Children and adults meet together in small groups to eat their snack or lunch. Adults always sit with children to converse and support individuals as they learn self-help and social skills.

Children in attendance for three hours have one morning snack. Children in attendance for seven hours have one morning snack, plus lunch, and one afternoon snack.

**Rest time* (GSRP only)**

As a state-licensed program, we are required to have quiet/rest time in classrooms that operate for more than five hours each day. Children are not required to sleep and those who are awake may choose quiet activities such as books, soft music, stories or fine-motor manipulatives.

Areas in a pre-K classroom

RCS preschool programs provide a high-quality education for a diverse population of children with widely varying levels of development and ability. Following the HighScope curriculum, adults and children are partners in learning. Through active participatory learning, young children construct their knowledge of the world, finding out how the world works through their own direct experiences with people, objects, materials, events and ideas.

All RCS pre-K classrooms are divided into interest areas which include spaces for art, blocks, books, math, pretend play, science and writing. Each area includes open-ended materials that are stored and labeled with pictures, words and actual objects. Labeled locations and materials support children at different stages in literacy development to understand the connection between words and pictures, while practicing reading skills.

Cubbies

Each RCS pre-K classroom has cubbies where children store their belongings. Each cubby is labeled with the child's "letter link" picture which starts with the same initial sound as their name. For example, a child named Lorelei may have a picture of a leaf. Letter link labels throughout the classroom on cubbies and sign-in sheets, for example, help support children's alphabetic knowledge and sound development.

Area signs

Each area in the classroom has an area sign. In the art area, children will typically find crayons, markers, paint, paintbrushes, playdough, paper, glue, scissors, stickers, tissue paper, craft sticks and more -- all of the materials for mixing, painting and making two- and three-dimensional art. The possibilities for creating are endless.

Block area

The block area has many types of materials for building and representing, such as wooden blocks, cardboard blocks, small cars and trucks, trains, and much more. In many classrooms, the block area also doubles as the large-group meeting space, so it is often one of the largest areas in the classroom.

Book area

The book area is a quieter area of the classroom where children can get cozy and look at a book by themselves, with friends, or an adult. In this area, children may find books, audio books, puppets, felt board stories and other materials that support early reading and storytelling.

Math area

The math area includes materials for counting, measuring, sorting, putting together and taking apart. You may find Legos, puzzles, measuring tools, magnatiles, 3D numbers, containers for filling and emptying, and much more.

Pretend play area

In the pretend play area, children will see familiar materials from home, such as real kitchen utensils, old cellphones, pots and pans, and other props that lend themselves to dramatic play. Children may enjoy dress-up clothes, babies, dolls, a doll house, and much more!

Science area

The science area has materials that children can observe, predict and experiment with. In this area children will find rocks, sticks, shells, animals, books, magnets, flashlights and natural materials that are brought in from outside.

Writing area

The writing area allows children to practice fine-motor skills, alphabetic knowledge and writing. Students can typically find paper of different colors and sizes, notepads, clipboards, cards, envelopes, 3D letters, old keyboards and a variety of writing utensils.

A printer-friendly version of this information is available.

We are here to help!

To reach the RCS Early Childhood Education Center, call 248-726-4800

Annemarie Miller, Director of Early Childhood Programs

Alida Jose, Coordinator of Early Childhood Programs

Olga Frans, Secretary of Early Childhood Programs

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