Early Education Program
About Griswold Early Education Program
(formerly Griswold Preschool)
Griswold Public Schools offers early learning opportunities for children ages 3, 4, and 5 who reside in Griswold or Jewett City in a fully integrated, NAEYC-accredited learning setting. Our classrooms are instructed by teachers with Master’s degree dual certifications in early childhood education and special education. We are a language- and play-based preschool program that creates a learning environment to promote cognitive, language, social-emotional, and motor skill development. Special education students who are identified by the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) as having a disability are fully integrated into our classrooms.
- The Griswold Early Education Program is a tuition-based part-day program that runs Monday through Thursday during the regular school year (August through June)
- There are two sessions:
- Morning is 9:00-11:30 a.m.
- Afternoon is 12:30-3:00 p.m.
- There are a limited number of grant-funded slots for children to attend the Early Education Program on Friday mornings
- Transportation is the responsibility of families (students with special needs are eligible for transportation by the district)
Learn more in our Griswold Early Education Program FAQ PDF.
For Prospective Early Education Program Parents
We invite the family of any in-district child age 3-4, who is interested in having their child participate in the early education program at Griswold Elementary School, to complete an application to join our program. Families must complete an application to be included in the lottery for placement in the program. The deadline for applications is March 31.
Early Education Program Application Form PDF
Complete the application form and return to Sarah Guillet in the Griswold Elementary School Main Office. You may print and return in-person or digitally via email: sguillet@griswoldpublicschools.org.
Completion of the application form does not guarantee placement.
Next steps: families who complete the application will be contacted in the spring for a brief community screening for their child. This meet & greet event will take place in late winter/early spring. Please check back in January for updates on this screening.
If the number of applications exceeds the number of available slots, a lottery system will be utilized. When slots are full, children will be placed on a waitlist. Families of the children on the waitlist will be contacted should a slot become available.
Registration Documents
Registration should only be completed if/once you are notified that your child has a slot.
- Registration Checklist PDF
- Registration Form PDF
- Special Education Form
- Request for Records
- Early Childhood Health Assessment Record
- TB Risk Assessment
- Yearly Health Update
- Nutrition Questionnaire
- Grant Funded Slots Info Form
- Income Verification Form
School Readiness Information
Griswold Public Schools is a recipient of the State of Connecticut School Readiness Grant. The grant allows for 26 students to attend a Friday session from 9:00-11:30 a.m. in addition to their 4-day program session.
Griswold also hosts the School Readiness Council that is comprised of the Superintendent, a BOE member, local early-childhood educators, representatives from Birth-to-3 and Slater Library, the School Readiness Liaison, and parents. The Council meets throughout the year to plan and oversee readiness-related activities for early learners in our district. In addition, the council coordinates Kindergarten transition activities and assists with getting registration information distributed throughout the community. For more information or to participate on the council, please contact Cheryl Lamothe at clamothe@eastconn.org.
Developmental Screening
Do you have a concern about your child's development?
Children develop skills at their own rate. IF you have concerns with your child's speech/language, motor, cognitive/attention, or social development, the early education team will provide a screening of these areas. Children must be at least 3 years old on or before the screening date.
Request a Developmental Screening appointment by filling out the Google Form below. You will be contacted for our next screening event.
Sign-up for Developmental Screening
Call 860.376.7610 x1135 if you have any questions.
Developmental Information
Sign up for the Sparkler App to learn more about child development, track your child's progress by age, find educational material, and access fun activities. Learn more in the video below or in the PDFs below:
Sparkler is a free, evidence-based mobile application that is available in English and Spanish for all Connecticut families of children ages 0-5 years old. Sparkler has tools to monitor your child’s social emotional, cognitive, communication, and physical development. It includes the Ages and Stages Questionnaire as well as suggestions for play-based learning activities to help support your child’s ongoing development.
You can download the Sparkler App from the Apple Store to your iPhone or iPad or the Google Play Store if you have an Android phone or tablet.
To login:
- Current Griswold Elementary Pre-K families: GriswoldPS
- Community members: Griswold
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s development and do not wish to access the Sparkler App, you can call the 211 Child Development line at 1-800-505-7000 or contact Griswold Elementary School at 1-860-376-7610. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about your child’s development and look forward to being a collaborative partner in your child’s educational journey!
Sparkler information for families - English
Sparkler information for families - Spanish
Learn more about the Sparkler App from Griswold's Student Services & Family Engagement Coordinator, Katy Sawaryn, in the video below: