The enrollment for the Kannapolis City Schools Head Start program/McKnight Child Development Center is 185 students served in 13 classrooms. There are 45 staff members, including the Director, classroom staff, coordinators, office support, therapists and maintenance personnel. Classes are held on the Kannapolis City School schedule with some additional days for staggered enrollment, home visits and parent conferences. The schedule is 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for 3 year olds and 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for 4 year olds. The schedule also follows the school calendar for holidays and vacations.
Head Start has more teacher training days than the other schools within the district.
Families must meet Head Start admission requirements which are based on family income and the age of the student. There is no cost to any family for a student’s participation in the Head Start program. The North Carolina school cut-off date of August 31st is used to determine school eligibility, but all students must be at least three years old when they enroll. After an application is completed, a student is placed on the acceptance/waiting list. A student’s position on this list is based on the number of points assigned to the application. This point system has been decided by the Head Start Policy Council. The student with the most points is at the top of the list for his/her class age and is the next student accepted when there is an opening. Enrollment occurs when a student is selected for an open slot in the program, and the parent attends a parent orientation and the student is then placed on a classroom roster.
