Some children may not get a spot for preschool during the Cherry Hill school district registration process, according to a district administrator.
Selection of preschool students is expected to rely on a lottery process, with each applicant's identifier on a ball in a drum and randomly drawn.
Farrah Mahan, Cherry Hill Public Schools assistant superintendent for PreK through 12, said a preschool preregistration link will be added to the district website from February 3 through February 14 so parents of a child who turns 3 or 4 by October 1, 2025, can preregister. Â
"We do have parents who will (try to preregister) at 1 a.m. on the third," she said during an information session about the district’s preschool expansion last week. "But it does not matter if you are the first person to hit submit or it is 11:59 p.m. on the 14th. You are still on the list to be included in the selection process."
Each name received during the 12-day window will be assigned an identification number, Mahan explained. The numbers will be written on balls and mixed with others in a rotating drum.
Children not chosen in the first round will be waitlisted, and their order on the list also will be based on their spot drawn in the lottery.
"We really stick to the process, because we understand that universal free preschool can really be life-changing for some of our families," she said. "We know the impact that it has for our students, so we take the process very seriously and want to give everyone an equal opportunity to get into the program."
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy called for the New Jersey to continue toward free, universal pre-K and full-day kindergarten.
"We will save every parent money by offering them a free, safe, and enriching environment to leave their child during the workday, whether it be full-day K or universal pre-K," Murphy stated in his prepared remarks.
Cherry Hill parents or guardians who complete pre-registration will be notified in April whether their child was chosen for a preschool seat or was waitlisted, Mahan explained. Parents whose child is already enrolled in a preschool program or waitlisted do not need to pre-register, she said. Â
The district is expecting between 700 to 1,000 preschool applications for the 2025-26 school year during the preregistration period, Mahan said.
"While we want to have a seat for every child we do not. We ask that you be patient with us as we continue to expand," she told parents.
Mahan also said the logistics of scheduling individual bus routes for the number of students enrolling make it impossible for parents and guardians to choose which of the preschool programs their child attends. She said that preschool currently is being offered at the Estelle V. Malberg Early Childhood Center or one of the private provider locations of Cadence Academy, Discovery Corner Learning, Kindercare or Mosaic Early Learning.
All preschool students, regardless of where they attend, will have the same six-hour school day, receive the same lessons, follow the same school calendar and have teachers and teacher aides vetted under the same state or district guidelines, Mahan explained.
The information session was held as the district entered year two of a five-year preschool expansion that was funded by a New Jersey Department of Education grant totaling $3.4 million, said Violeta Katsikis, the district’s supervisor of preschool and English as a second language.
"Not everything is perfect or in place at the moment," Katsikis said. "As we continue to grow, we are reflecting on our practices, adding more team members, adding more students and expanding to include more private providers. You will see changes throughout those five years."
Mahan added: "We understand that many of you have children who are already enrolled in a private location, and you have to notify them and/or secure your spot.…We had a lot of parents tell us last year '(The district) needs to move faster.' We heard that, and we are definitely moving faster."
