Northern Lights Public Schools is excited to connect with next year’s preschool and Kindergarten students and their families as we prepare for the 2024-2025 school year.
Early learning registration opens March 18th and all of the division’s Care to Learn Preschool locations will be hosting open houses on Thursday, March 14 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. NLPS elementary schools will also be providing opportunities for new preschool and Kindergarten students and their families to learn more about their programs in the spring. Details about those events will be shared on school websites and Facebook pages as they are finalized.
“We are pleased to be able to offer families a variety of early learning options including our Little Lights program, half-day and full-day preschool, and full-day programming for our Kindergarten students," said Board Chair Karen Packard. “These programs provide our students with an introduction to learning that creates a strong foundation for their educational journey."
The Little Lights program is for preschool-aged children (as young as 2 years and 8 months) who need intervention services in key developmental areas such as speech and language, motor skills and self-care, social/emotional, and/or children with a medical diagnosis such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down’s Syndrome, or Cerebral Palsy. Conversations, questionnaires, and assessments can help determine what services children may need and help families access those services. These services can include speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychological services and assessments, in addition to our robust early childhood programming. Families who would like more information are encouraged to fill out the interest form on the Little Lights page on our website or to contact one of our elementary schools.
Care to Learn Preschool is a provincially-licensed preschool program operating in nine NLPS elementary schools. A variety of three-hour programs are offered at the nine locations, as well as full-day preschool programs at Duclos School in Bonnyville, Ecole Plamondon School and Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche.
All Northern Lights elementary schools offer a full-day of programming for Kindergarten students five days a week. We enhance the provincially-mandated half-day Kindergarten curriculum with a Kindergarten Extension program based on Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Curriculum Framework. The Kindergarten curriculum is taught by a certified teacher. The Extension program is provided by our Extension Educational Assistants (EA’s).
How do I register?
NLPS offers online registration in its preschool and kindergarten programs to make the process as convenient as possible for parents and guardians. Full instructions are provided on the Preschool Registration and Kindergarten Registration pages on our website. Our school staff are available to assist with the registration process and answer any questions that parents have.