Fort Wayne Community Schools Pre-K

Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center

Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center is a magnet school offering Montessori education for children ages 3 to 6 years old. As a Montessori school, the curriculum follows the methods developed by Maria Montessori, who believed children must cultivate their own natural desire to learn to become truly educated individuals who are motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love for knowledge. Classrooms are multi-age and look different than traditional classrooms. Materials are at the child’s level and offer a hands-on experience. Students are shown lessons and then work at their own pace. Three-year-old students attend in the morning only. Four-year-old pre-K students and kindergarten students attend for the full day.

Since 2003, Bunche has been accredited with the American Montessori Society, the first public Montessori school in the United States to receive such status. As a magnet school, enrollment is open to all families through the lottery process. Families interested in enrolling a child must submit an application. Children are selected through the lottery based on space available.

 

Whitney Young Early Childhood Center

Whitney Young Early Childhood Center is part of the District’s arts magnet program and serves 4- and 5-year-old students in full-day pre-K and kindergarten programs. The school embraces the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which provides a nurturing environment where all children are valued, respected and encouraged to construct knowledge through guided exploration and social interaction as they discover the joy of learning. A variety of fine arts experiences form a solid foundation for continued participation in the FWCS arts magnet program. The school is fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has earned the Level 4 Paths to Quality rating. Paths to Quality is Indiana’s statewide rating system for early care and education programs. As a magnet school, enrollment is open to all families through the lottery process. Families interested in enrolling a child must submit an application. Children are selected through the lottery based on space available.

On My Way Pre-K

FWCS accepts On My Way Pre-K grants in each of the Title I pre-K programs. Families must apply through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Child must be 4 but not yet 5 years old by Aug. 1, 2023.
• Child must be a resident of Indiana.
• Parents/guardians in the household must have a service need (working, going to school, attending job training).
• In Allen County, families must earn less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Additional information is available by clicking here.

Special Education Pre-K

Fort Wayne Community Schools provides special education services to qualifying children ages 3 to 5. Services outlined in a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) are based on the individual needs of the student. Depending on a child’s need, he/she may work with an early childhood general education teacher, early childhood special education teacher, teaching assistant, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, mental health therapist and/or physical therapist. Call our Special Education Office at 260.467.1110 for information on testing to determine eligibility.

Designated special education pre-K programs are located at:

• Brentwood
• Fairfield
• Forest Park
• Haley
• Harrison Hill
• Holland
• Maplewood
• Northcrest
• Price

Before & After School Y Care

FWCS partners with the YMCA to provide childcare before and after school at many elementary schools, including half-day programs for pre-K students. The program provides snacks, homework assistance and structured activities. More information on this program can be found here.

Additional Information

• Nutrition Services: If the household has a current food stamp case number, the enrolled student may be automatically eligible for benefits. A Meal/Textbook Benefit Application must be submitted to Nutrition Services or the school office prior to the beginning of the school year to ensure processing and determination of eligibility before the first day of school. Call Nutrition Services at 260.467.2055 for additional information or assistance.

• Transportation: Transportation is provided to students attending their geographically assigned school or a magnet school and living outside the No Transportation Zone. For transportation and school boundary information, please call the Coordinator of Routing at 260.467.1900.

• Our school nurses provide excellent care to all students. Make sure your child is ready for school with the proper immunizations required and other health considerations.

• What immunizations will your child need? Find out here

• • Conferences: All pre-K students and parents will receive information from the school with a time and date for a conference before school starts. Students may bring their supplies and meet their teacher at this time.