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Pre-Kindergarten

The Great Beginnings pre-K program launched during the 2024-25 school year.

Separate from our Great Beginnings Early Education Center programs, the pre-K program will serve up to 235 students at Prairie View Elementary, 501 SE Todd George Parkway. It includes tuition-based and free programs.

Eligibility:

  • Must turn 4 by July 31, 2026.
  • Must live in the Lee's Summit R-7 School District boundaries
  • Must provide transportation to and from program

Get Started:

  • Review program information, including income criteria for free pre-K, on this webpage.
  • All prospective students must go through DIAL screening at Great Beginnings so they may be appropriately placed in an LSR7 Early Childhood program.
  • Enrollment will be determined by lottery and families notified of selection status by May.
  • Selected students must provide proof-of-age and proof-of-residency during annual enrollment in July/August. 

Please note: This program is an addition to the district and will not remove or move any programming currently offered at the existing GBEEC sites.

Free vs. Tuition-Based Programs

Free Program

  • 160 spots total
  • Full-Day
  • Located at Prairie View Elementary
  • Free; must meet 2026-27 Free & Reduced Lunch Guidelines (Released July 1, 2026 by USDA)

Tuition-Based

  • 75 spots total
  • Full-day ($200/week)
  • Located at Prairie View Elementary
  • No household income requirement

Free & Reduced Lunch Guidelines

FAQs

Curriculum

A teacher interacting with a student in her busy classroom

 

The Great Beginnings Pre-K Program utilizes the Project Construct curriculum framework.  Our classrooms are designed for students to develop their knowledge and social-emotional skills through their interactions with the physical and social environment.  The primary aim of Project Construct is to help teachers foster the development of each child as an independent learner.  Project Construct classrooms give children the opportunity to make choices, collaborate, and exchange ideas and feelings.  The children learn to regulate their behavior, solve problems, and think. The Project Construct framework is linked to state and national early childhood learning standards.

Teachers provide a caring and nurturing environment while providing our students with a structured day that is developmentally appropriate.  Parts of the day include circle time, story time, center/work time, small group work, project work, journal/tabletop time, meals, snacks, outdoor play, and quiet/rest time. In addition to Project Construct, we will provide supplemental instruction in the areas of literacy, phonics, and math. 

Conscious Discipline

baby shoes, pacifier and blocks

Great Beginnings Pre-K Program uses the Conscious Discipline framework to support social-emotional development and the creation of the School Family. Conscious Discipline promotes connections between families and schools, teachers and students, and students with other students to ensure the optimal development of all.

The school family is created through routines, rituals, and structures.  Conscious Discipline emphasizes feelings of safety and connection while building the School Family. Teachers and staff support children who are upset and help them find calm, identify their feelings, develop positive self-talk, and find strategies to feel better. This process helps children develop lifelong problem-solving skills and resilience. 

 

Free & Reduced Guidelines

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Visit the Free & Reduced Guidelines page to see if your family qualifies for added services.

Community Programs

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

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Any resident family with children aged prenatal to pre-kindergarten can participate in in the Parents as Teachers program. Click here to learn more about Parents as Teachers.

Early Head Start

baby shoes, pacifier and blocks

Early Head Start serves neonatal to 3 years old children of families who meet eligibility based on federal income guidelines.

Girl sitting in the middle of a cluster of legos on the floor