Pre-K counts in Mercer County

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Pre-K Counts is coming soon to Mercer County!

Mercer County Head Start / Early Head Start is happy to announce the addition of 100 more slots through the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Pre-K counts grant initiative. High quality Head Start services will be provided to these additional children, free of charge! This new program is a partnership between Mercer County Head Start / Early Head Start, The Community Action Partnership of Mercer County, Farrell School District, and 6 Mercer County school districts

These additional classrooms will be located in: Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon, Reynolds, Mercer, Lakeview, and Sharpsville.

Why is a Pre-Kindergarten program important?

Ninety percent of brain growth occurs before the age of 5 years. Children who enter kindergarten from quality pre-K have better reading, language and social skills than those who do not go to preschool. As a result, kindergarten teachers can teach the foundations of math and reading instead of classroom skills and behavior. Children who start out behind have difficulties catching up with peers in the elementary grades. In fact, nearly 90 percent of the children who are poor readers in first grade will still be poor readers in fourth grade.
Research shows that children from low-income families particularly benefit from a preschool setting. A Chicago-based study found that children from low-income households who attended preschool were 30 percent more likely to graduate from high school, 40 percent less likely to repeat a grade, and 32 percent less likely to be arrested as a juvenile.

Why choose Pre-K Counts with Mercer County Head Start

Mercer County Head Start has over 40 years of specialized experience with preschool children ages birth through 5 years old. Using the Creative Curriculum, lessons are planned that allow each child to learn and explore in their new environments. Lessons are also individualized to meet the needs of each child.
The process of transitioning from preschool into kindergarten and elementary school is very easy for both children and their parents because of the educational activities planned for the entire family.

What can I expect from the Pre-K Counts classroom?

Each classroom is staffed by a teacher with Early Childhood certification, and an assistant with an Associates degree, CDA, or higher.
All classrooms (except Farrell) will run 5.5 hours per day, for 180 days following the school calendar for that district.
The Farrell classroom will run 3 hours per day, for 180 days following the Farrell school calendar.
Provided services will be very similar to services offered in the Head Start classrooms.
No transportation services will be offered in these classrooms.

How much does the program cost?

The program is provided absolutely free of charge through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Pre-K Counts Grant.

Eligibility Requirements

Pre-K counts classrooms are available to any child living in these 7 school districts regardless of family income, language, or other special needs. A selection process is used to ensure that children who would most benefit from the services are able to be enrolled.

How do I sign up?

The Pre-K counts classrooms will open in November. Click Here or call (724) 346-4482 to complete a short application. A Head Start employee will contact you shortly to complete a full application. If you are on the Head Start waiting list, you do not need to reapply. The Head Start and Pre-K counts waiting lists are merged. This ensures that as many children as possible who need services are able to receive those services.