By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
Parents and families of preschool and kindergarten age children are invited to attend the Great Bend school district's second annual Preschool and Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment Information Fair Tuesday, April 12 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Great Bend Events Center.
Andrea Bauer, USD 428's Public Information Officer, explained what will be happening at the fair.
"We will have our teachers on-site to talk with families," Bauer said. "They've been collaborating on putting together displays to showcase the curriculum as well as enrichment programs and student support opportunities. Our building secretaries are going to be helping with paperwork. We'll also have principals there to answer questions as well."
Other exhibitors at the event include community preschools, the Barton County Health Department, Great Bend Public Library, United Way of Central Kansas, Parents as Teachers and the Great Bend Recreation Commission.
Bauer said parents can get a head start in enrolling their children in preschool or kindergarten for next fall.
"We operate with an online enrollment process," Bauer noted. "There's a lot of information we have to collect from families whether that's emergency contact information or student health information. So it's a one-page pre-enrollment sheet that just collects the basic information and it allows us to get those families entered into our online student management system. When online enrollment opens in July, they can take advantage of that opportunity."
Bauer said the school district will still have on-site enrollment at the schools in August.
USD 428 operates half-day preschool programs at Little Panthers Preschool, Riley Elementary and Washington School.
Private preschools are also invited to attend.