Pre-K

Promoting school readiness for young children.

Starting school can be stressful for young children. They must have the tools to manage the transition to kindergarten. And Pre-K provides their most important introduction to the classroom.

Being kindergarten-ready means being able to adapt and achieve in school. In Pre-K, children develop social, emotional, physical, and behavioral skills — skills that help them become students. They gain vital experience talking, listening and interacting with others.

But above all, Pre-K engages children’s creativity and curiosity in the classroom. And an early love of learning puts them on the path for school success.

Enroll Your Child in Pre-K Today!

First 8 Memphis Pre-K operators are accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year. Enrolling your child in Pre-K gives your family access to special support, wraparound services, and other impactful resources. Children must be 4 years old by August 15 to be eligible.

View all of the First 8 Memphis Pre-K operators, plus enrollment tips and the many benefits of Pre-K, at PreKMemphis.com.

Pre-K Reports

Become a Pre-K Partner!

Operate a F8M Pre-K Classroom — The 25-26 Request for Proposal Application for F8M Pre-K Classroom Funding is now open!

First 8 Memphis supports 1,600 students and families across 80 high-quality Pre-K classrooms through annual funding provided by the City of Memphis and Shelby County Governments.

The 25-26 Request for Proposal Application for F8M Pre-K Classroom Funding is open! View the full application here. All applications submitted to F8M by December 9, 2024 will be reviewed by a committee consisting of early childhood, education, community partners, and City and County government representatives. Final approval of the classroom award will be made by the F8M Board of Directors. An application is considered complete once all required fields are filled and the online Jotform application is submitted. During the review process, F8M may request additional information from applicants. Applications will be evaluated based on technical merit as outlined in the scoring rubric, with technical merit scores forming the basis for RFP decisions.

The scoring rubric directly aligns with the High-Quality Pre-K Definition, developed by the F8M Leadership Council in 2023. Applicants will be notified by February 14, 2025 regarding their eligibility to be awarded a classroom for the 2024-2025 school year, contingent on the availability of classrooms through program expansion, or non-renewed or closed classrooms. For those selected, an official approval letter, designating the Operator as an F8M Pre-K Partner, will be issued on March 7, 2025.

IMPORTANT: A webinar for interested applicants will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

Join Zoom Meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/7710819352?omn=88511949377
Meeting ID: 771 081 9352

Join the F8M Leadership Council Pre-K Work Group

The Pre-K Work Group is open to anyone invested in the Memphis and Shelby County Pre-K community, not just current F8M Operators! We meet quarterly during the school year. Sign-up here to receive communication of our upcoming meetings.

The goal of the Pre-K Work Group is to promote alignment across Pre-K providers in our community, promoting high-quality programming and increased access for children and families. Additionally, we identify advocacy opportunities at the local and state level to further support the work of early educators in our community.

Promote High-Quality Pre-K Programming

The F8M Leadership Council published a guideline to high-quality Pre-K programming, which promotes four key areas of success:

Developmentally appropriate instruction
Continuous support of educators
Two generational wraparound support for families
Safe and welcoming environment

Read the full high-quality definition here.