Applications for placement in the Brighton Preschool/Parent Program's 2024-2025 class began on January 7th, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. Read about the preschool and our application process below. As of June 2024, we are no longer accepting applications as the preschool has reached maximum capacity. If you would like to be contacted if a student withdraws and there is room to add a student, please add your child to the waitlist: click here to access the website. You will only be contacted if we can move your child from the waitlist into one of our preschool classrooms. 

Brighton's Preschool/Parent Program has been an educational resource in our community for over 60 years! It allows children to share and learn in a safe and nurturing environment where children are valued and accepted as unique people. Our play-based curriculum provides creative opportunities for all children to encourage social development, pre-reading and math skills, and independence. Planned activities and teacher interaction foster early education skill-building. Through play, our students discover what they enjoy most and what makes them feel competent; our preschool also teaches children what it means to be a good friend. We provide diverse opportunities for experimentation, which challenge thinking and reasoning abilities. Our facilities are perfect for large and small motor development - inside the classroom and outside on the playground. One of the most significant features of our preschool is the amount of parental involvement. On a rotating basis, a parent or guardian (or another family member or nanny) serves as a volunteer helper in the classroom. Each family is responsible for signing up to volunteer at least six times a year. This commitment to being essential to the classroom routine gives families a foundation for creating positive home-to-school connections.

The preschool is conveniently located on the first floor of the Brighton Central School District's Central Administration Building, 2035 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. This location provides a safe and secure environment for children to learn and play. The children meet in a large, bright classroom with interesting areas that stimulate a child's natural curiosity. Adjacent is another classroom used for large muscle activities. Outside is a playground specially designed for preschool-aged children. The program follows the Brighton Central School District calendar and is closed when the District is closed for holidays, recess periods, and emergency school closings. If you want to know how many days the school is closed in a typical year, please click here to review the District calendar. Transportation is not provided. Families drop off and pick up their children each day.

The 2024-2025 preschool year begins on Monday, September 23, 2024. It is open to children three or four years old by December 1, 2024. Each class includes both age groups. Having more than one age group in a class means siblings can be placed together, and the younger children can learn new things by watching the older children (and vice versa!) About thirty-two students are enrolled each year – a maximum of sixteen children in a class that meets from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. and a different group of sixteen children in a class meeting from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m. A family requests their child be registered in preschool two, three or four days a week. Children registered in the morning class are the only students who can be registered four days a week. The morning class is open for enrollment on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The afternoon class is open for enrollment on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Preschool is not held on Thursday afternoons or Fridays. Even though this preschool program is in a public school, it receives no funding from the State Education Department. Thus, families pay an annual tuition for their children to attend. Tuition is calculated based on the number of days a child is registered to attend weekly. Fees are available as a document at the bottom of this webpage.  

Children do not have to be fully independent in the bathroom to come to our preschool. Some parents have concerns about their child not being fully toilet trained by the start of the school year. If you feel that way, please realize that there are many months between registering for preschool and starting preschool. Who your child is at registration is different from who they will be in September. Each child reaches toilet training milestones at their own pace. If a child is fully trained when they start preschool, great. If they aren't, that's okay too. We have a bathroom inside the classroom with a child-sized toilet and sink. The teachers encourage children still learning to use the potty to become independent. They are there to offer assistance when needed. We do not have diaper-changing facilities in the classroom. Thus, children must wear underwear or a pull-up to preschool. You will also send them extra clothes in case there is a need to change an item. 

Applications for the upcoming school year are accepted at the beginning of January each year. There is a non-refundable application fee of $100. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis in three different groups. Families who already have a child enrolled in preschool currently and apply by February 1st will be enrolled first for the class time and days of the week they want their child to attend next year. Prospective students who are siblings of current or previous Brighton Preschool students and apply by February 1st will be enrolled in the spaces available after current families have reenrolled. Then, new students will be enrolled in the remaining open spaces. After Feb 1st, the director reviews all applications and creates class rosters. All families who applied to be enrolled in preschool will be notified of their placement status in mid-February. If a placement is unavailable for your child at the time applicants are notified, you can be placed on a waitlist to be contacted if something becomes available in the future. Applying online at brightonschools.revtrak.net is preferred; however, a paper form that can be submitted by mail is available in the preschool brochure at the bottom of this webpage. 

For answers to your questions, contact the Brighton Community Education and Preschool Program office, which is open during the school year from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday and at other times by appointment. During summer recess, the office is open on Monday and Tuesday. The office may not be open when Brighton Central School District is closed for holidays or break periods. If you call and the director cannot answer, please leave a message and include your name, phone number, and email address. Also, include your child's name and age. The preschool director can be reached at 585-242-5200, ext. 5595, or mona_zamiarski@bcsd.org.