Department of Early Childhood Education 

Mrs. April Vitiello, Coordinator of Early Childhood

avitiello@nutleyschools.org

Tuition-Free Full-Day Preschool

23-24 Enrollment Application Form

If you would like to submit an application for enrollment for the Raising Raiders PreK program for the 23-24 school year, please click HERE. 

Currently enrolled students do not need to submit another application. Students on the 22-23 waitlist but not enrolled WILL need to complete another application.  Completion of this application does not guarantee placement. More information regarding placement will be provided on the website at a later date. Please check the website for updated information. 

Raising Raiders PreK Program Information 

Nutley Public Schools is fortunate to have the opportunity to provide free, high-quality preschool to enrolled students. We provide a 6 hour school day program, Monday through Friday, for our 3 and 4 year old students. Hours are typically 8:45-2:45 but are subject to vary depending on the location. Raising Raiders follows the Nutley Public Schools calendar, in all locations. 

AGE REQUIREMENT: In order to be eligible for a 3-year-old class, your child must be 3-years-old by October 1, 2023.  In order to be eligible for a 4-year-old classroom, your child must be 4-years-old by October 1, 2023.  

All students must be a resident of Nutley in order to maintain enrollment in our program. 

Any questions regarding the Raising Raiders PreK program should be directed to April Vitiello, Coordinator of Early Childhood at avitiello@nutleyschools.org.

Preschool for Students with Disabilities

Preschool students with disabilities may be eligible for special education services as indicated under federal law, IDEA, and state law, N.J.A.C. 1:6A. In order to receive special education services, the pre-school child will need to be referred to the Child Study Team for evaluation. Children may be eligible for services on the day of their third birthday. The initial referral should be directed to the Director of Special Services. Once a referral is received, a meeting will be convened with the parent and the pre-school Child Study Team. If the parents and the child study team agree to conduct an evaluation, an evaluation plan will be designed. An evaluation plan typically includes a multi-disciplinary set of evaluations such as a cognitive assessment, social assessment and a speech and language evaluation. Other evaluations may be added if needed. Once the evaluations are completed, an eligibility meeting will be held to determine the student's eligibility for services. If the student is eligible for special education services, an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) will be developed and services will be initiated.

If you have additional questions about our preschool program please contact April Vitiello, our coordinator of Early Childhood Education, at avitiello@nutleyschools.org.

Scholarly articles on the Benefits of Preschool

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/19/08/lasting-gains-preschool

https://www.ncsl.org/blog/2018/01/12/long-term-benefits-of-preschool-for-real-or-fadeout.aspx

https://earlylearningin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/fadeoutfaq.earlylearningindiana.pdf

https://equitablegrowth.org/sustaining-preschool-gains-can-help-the-benefits-of-early-childhood-education-endure/

https://hechingerreport.org/pre-k-researchers-cant-get-past-the-third-grade/

https://www.sreb.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/fadeoutonepager_final.pdf