Day Care Resources
Securing quality day care for younger and school age children is one of the foremost concerns for working parents and guardians. The North Carolina Division of Child Development monitors and licenses all child-care programs in the state, assuring a safe and healthy environment in licensed child-care centers and private homes. This organization provides information through its toll-free number and on its website directory. The North Carolina Child Care Resource & Referral Network (CCR&R) organizes regional agencies that serve parents in communities across the state. YMCA clubs and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America also provide day-care opportunities in many locations.
Educational Alternatives
Parents who prefer non-public or private education for their children in parochial or independent schools will find many quality choices in Metropolitan Fayetteville and surrounding counties. The State of North Carolina maintains a Division of Non-Public Education that provides information about alternative educational environments, from home schooling to private schools. This division also offers information on charter schools, defined as tuition-free public schools that operate with a degree of freedom usually associated with private education.
PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM
Registration Requirements
Students must be at least five years old on or before October 16 of the enrollment year to register for kindergarten and at least six years old on or before the same date for first-grade registration. Several documents will be necessary for registration, including proof of residency, the child's certified birth certificate and social security number, and a health assessment. The latter must be signed by a physician and include a physical exam, vision screening, and hearing screening.
North Carolina law also requires immunizations in the proper doses and intervals for DTP, polio, measles, mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B, and Hib for children born after October 1, 1988. The certification of immunization must include the name, birthdate, and sex of the child as well as name and contact information for the parent or guardian. Children are not permitted to attend classes without complete immunization records. For more information about public education in North Carolina or answers to specific questions, contact:
North Carolina Public Schools
Department of Public Instruction
Raleigh
919-807-3300
www.ncpublicschools.org
North Carolina State Board of Education
919-807-3304
www.ncpublicschools.org