The Georgia Prekindergarten Program was established in 1993 to provide Georgia's four-year-old children with high-quality preschool experiences.

This unique program, funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education, is expected to serve about 76,600 children this school year. With this statewide prekindergarten program, Georgia reaches a higher proportion of four-year-old children than any other state in the nation.

The goal of every Georgia Prekindergarten classroom is to provide our four year olds with the learning experiences they need in order to prepare for kindergarten.

The Georgia Prekindergarten Program is successfully preparing children for school by providing an opportunity for them to develop school readiness skills in an environment that encourages children to have fun while learning.

An evaluation by Georgia State University found that children who attended prekindergarten had higher academic and social ratings by their kindergarten teachers and better kindergarten attendance than children who did not attend preschool programs. Participation in a high-quality preschool program also helps children develop social and preacademic skills that will help them succeed in kindergarten and throughout their educational experiences.

Other studies have also shown that children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are much more likely to succeed in school.

For additional information about Georgia’s Pre-Kindergarten, visit http://www.decal.state.ga.us