Highlands School District
About the Pre-K Program
The Highlands Pre-Kindergarten Program (Pre-K Counts) is a high quality preschool program that prepares children for the early literacy, cognitive, and mathematical reasoning activities needed to be successful in Kindergarten by using the Pennsylvania Early Childhood State Standards and Creative Curriculum to increase the students' readiness for school.
Children must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1 of that school year in order to be eligible for the program. Please note that children who turn 5 on September 1 are not eligible for the program.
Highlands offers two morning and two afternoon Pre-Kindergarten sessions. The program is currently limited to 68 Pre-Kindergarten students - 17 in each of the 4 sessions. Transportation is provided to and from school and daily attendance is closely monitored. This program is funded through the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Grant.
The Pre-Kindergarten staff consists of two highly qualified Early Childhood Education teachers and two classroom aides with support personnel such as a social worker, DART, and Head Start consultants.
Collaboration and planning with Head Start and DART has increased the benefits to students in our Pre-K Program as we have solid connections to community-based early childhood programs, providers, and family services throughout the district.
Our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms are located at the Highlands Early Childhood Center, 1060 Atlantic Avenue, Brackenridge. The Pre-K students follow the Highlands School District calendar and attend school 180 days. Open House and Parent Teacher Conference events occur throughout the school year to allow parents to become acquainted with their child's teacher, and to receive information on student potential, performance, and achievement throughout the year. Individual report cards are issued four times a year. The aim of these reports is to enable the home and the school to work together to help the student.
The Highlands School District's Early Childhood Programs are supervised by Mrs. Kristie Gizienski, Principal of the Highlands Early Childhood Center.
PRE-K TEACHERS:
Ms. Marian Ayres
724-226-2400, ext. 1102
Mrs. Candice Gourley
724-226-2400, ext. 1106
Mrs. Christina Miller
724-226-2400, ext. 1104
For more information about the Highlands Pre-Kindergarten Program, call or email program secretary Mrs. Jamie Mace at 724-226-2400, ext. 1600 or jmace@goldenrams.com. 
