Preschool
Resources
Schools and Programs
Wallingford Public Schools provides full day and half day experiences for typically developing children as well as children with special needs. The 4 year old programs at Highland and Moses Y. Beach are NAEYC Accredited.
Cook Hill and Moses Y. Beach provide 3 year old classroom experiences to students who turn three within a given school year. Placement in the program for typically developing students is done through a lottery process. The lottery application is typically available mid- January and closes at the end of February. All students not chosen in the lottery are placed on a waiting list by order of the lottery results. A planning and placement team determines whether or not a student with a disability is eligible for services. Based on this determination the program and placement is planned.
Cook Hill, E.C. Stevens, Highland and Moses Y. Beach provide 4 year old classroom experiences to students who turn four within a given school year. Placement in the program for typically developing students is done through a lottery process. The lottery application is typically available mid- January and closes at the end of February. All students not chosen in the lottery are placed on a waiting list by order of the lottery results.
Preschool Information Night Presentation - 12.6.24
Families
Parent Resources
Family Resource Center
Family Resource Center
Wallingford Public Schools is proud to offer a weekly playgroup for preschool age (2-5 years old) children. Children will have the opportunity to socialize with peers from the town. Add each week the resource center will have professionals available to support families with questions including an early childhood special education teacher and school psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist will be available alternative weeks. The Family Resource Center will meet regularly during the school year at Moses Y. Beach Elementary School (340 North Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492).
To register for the Family Resource Center, please click on the flyer.
Sparkler
Sparkler
Children’s brains grow rapidly in their earliest years, laying the foundation for the rest of their lives — with learning fueled by play and interactions between children and their parents and caregivers.
Sparkler is a mobile app that helps parents to check in on how their child is doing against key milestones — and provides activities to spark their early learning.
It also has plus evidence-based and FUN do-together activities that you can play with your 0-5 year old to spark their growing heart, mind, and body!
Get started today by downloading Sparkler from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Use the code CT to register in Connecticut!
With Sparkler you can:
- Know: Just by answering a few questions through the Sparkler app, you can keep track of your child’s development from 2 months to 5 years — the most important time to get your child ready to succeed in school and in life. You can also track your child’s social and emotional development during their first five years by using the Ages and Stages Social Emotional questionnaires (ASQ:SE-2) in the Sparkler app.
- Play and Learn: Access thousands of fun, developmentally appropriate off-screen activities developed by early childhood educators to help you and your child learn through play.
- Connect: Get tips and answers from Connecticut early childhood providers and care coordinators at 211 Child Development (part of the United Way of Connecticut). Sparkler allows you to tap into a network of custom advice and support. And if your answers to the ASQ indicate they you might need support, 211 or your early childhood provider will reach out to help.
For more detailed instructions for creating an account and registering within Sparkler, click below:
Typical Peer Lottery
Lottery
The Wallingford Public School Preschool lottery process has closed. The lottery will be drawn on March 14, 2025. Families will be notified on March 17, 2025 regarding their child's status. The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood requires preschools receiving Smart Start funding to gather income information to ensure adherence to the grant guidelines. Please note, this information will not impact a child’s chances in the lottery or placement in a Wallingford Public School preschool. The district requests families submit the first page of their 2022 federal income tax with all important information blacked out. This should be uploaded into the google form before submission. If the documentation is not submitted, your child will not be entered in the lottery. Please contact Liz Gaffney at (203) 949-6518 or at egaffney@wallingfordschools.org if you have any questions.
Parent Handbook
