Bright Futures Preschool Program

About Bright Futures

The Bright Futures program is a readiness program for three-year-old children entering their first educational experience preparing them in the areas of cognitive, literacy and social development. 

These classrooms are integrated classrooms, which means every student has to qualify to be in the program, either by meeting the federal guidelines for the free and reduced meal program or by meeting Missouri’s definition of a developmental delay in at least one qualifying area.

The Bright Futures early childhood program is a half-day program that runs every day except Wednesdays for three hours each day. The a.m. session is from 8:20 a.m.-11:20 a.m. and the p.m. session is from 12:20 p.m.-3:20 p.m. Students will be placed in the AM or PM session based on space availability. 

All enrolled students in this program are expected to maintain a 95% attendance rate in order to participate.

It is a requirement for Bright Futures applicants to be fully potty-trained and turn three by July 31 of the given school year. The preschool classroom follows the Missouri Pre-K Standards and Creative Curriculum. Daily activities in the classroom include:

• Circle time with calendar work
• Hand-writing Without Tears
• Development of social-emotional skills reinforced and practiced daily
• Weather work with a "meteorologist" who reports the weather
• Music and movement activities
• Literacy activities – includes reading and discussing stories (fiction, science, social studies and nonfiction text) looking for connections, character changes, and cause and effect
• Jolly Phonics listening and written activities for letter of the week
• Outside gross motor time
• Shared reading of nursery rhymes and finger plays, which the students act out 

Families are enrolled based on high needs criteria and first come, first serve basis. Enrollment starts the spring prior to the following school year and intermittently throughout the year as openings become available.