Alleghany Highlands Public Schools still has openings for its Virginia Preschool Initiative (pre-kindergarten) program.
Starting with the 2023-2024 school year in August, Alleghany Highlands Public Schools will no longer offer a two-tiered junior kindergarten/kindergarten option for students who turn 5 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. Instead, the school division will offer preschool for 4 year olds that fall under Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) criteria.
Parents of students who turn 4 prior to Sept. 30, 2023, may apply for the student to be entered into the VPI programs at each elementary school as a form of preschool/pre-kindergarten instruction.
Eligibility and acceptance are based on a variety of factors, including income/financial verification, family/situational factors, and identified local criteria. Enrollments will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible students, based on staffing availability. Interested families should contact the elementary school their child would attend.
Parents who plan to enroll a child should provide the child’s birth certificate, a current immunization record, a copy of their most recent physical, the child’s Social Security number, and income verification for the household. Income verification can be provided through a pay stub or a current W2 form. The parent must also provide proof of residency.
Potential VPI students will be scheduled by AHPS for an educational screening as part of the application process. More information will be provided to families if the application for enrollment is approved. Each child approved for enrollment will be required to have a preschool physical examination before entering school for the first time.
AHPS is making the transition to the PreK/VPI program to provide stability in licensed staffing and maintain an 18:1 teacher/student ratio with a paraprofessional also present in each classroom. Maintaining a low teacher/studio ratio will provide students with high-quality daily interactions with school staff in areas of activity.
AHPS instructors work to develop the whole child with art, music, physical education, and social/emotional learning sessions through programs such as Character Counts.
For more information about enrolling students in the PreK/VPI program for 2023-2024, parents should contact the school their child would attend. Information about changes to elementary school attendance zones for the 2023-2024 school year is available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division was created through the July 1, 2022, merger of Allegany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. The school division, which serves approximately 2,700 students, is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
School division news and events are regularly posted on Facebook at AHPublicSchools. The division website can be visited at ahps.k12.va.us.