PARENT RESOURCE CENTER
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County
NC PreK Applications
Application Process for Move Ups/Recruits
All applicants to the Pre-K program must come through the same process. The link to our online application is on the Pre-K department page and listed below:
Parents will need to complete the online application first and upload all documents. Once this is completed they will receive an invitation for a virtual screening. Once the screening has been completed, parents will be instructed to check their family dashboard for placement.
Meck Prek Enrollment
Newsletters
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Testimonials
"Nana's Place Learning Center is an amazing day care learning center for children. Our children Brittany (14) and Patrick (11) both attended Nana's Place when infants and toddlers. We felt right at home when meeting the Smiths and their staff. As a parent, you want to make sure your child is fully taken care of and treated with unconditional love. Nana's Place took our kids in with much love and treated them as their own. Nana's Place was not just a day care but also a place where our children excelled academically to well prepare them when they started Jr Kindergarten. Nana's came to us highly recommended and we highly recommend them to you! We have remained in touch with what we consider to be not just friends but family. We are certain that the same type of relationship will be enjoyed by all that engage with them and their fine services."
Former Mayor Patrick and Trenna Cannon
"My Family has been a satisfied client of the Nana’s Place Learning Center since 2004. Our oldest daughter, Kiersten, started at Nana’s when she was only a year old. The daily instruction she received from age 1 to age 5 was relevant and rigorous. When she graduated from Nana’s Place she was well prepared for her kindergarten year. She was extremely successful. She attended a Learning Immersion/ Talent Development Magnet School. She was in the top of her class, reading on a second grade level. She was able to accelerate rapidly through the kindergarten curriculum. She enjoys writing and reading. In all subject areasat Nana’s Place she was taught how to think critically and problem solve which strengthened her in the areas of Science and Math. We attribute Kiersten’s success to the foundation she received at Nana’s Place. The director Mrs. Karen Smith-Jones, at Nana's Place Learning Center believes that children should not be boxed in by a developmentally appropriate curriculum and she truly lets the students excel to their highest potential. The Nana’s Place staff provides a loving environment and sets high expectations for all students. Kiersten is now in second grade and she is on a fifth grade reading level. She has certified “TD” and she is excelling in all subjects. She was not only taught to grow academically at Nana’s Place but she was also taught to be a positive leader to her peers and in her community. We have our younger daughter Kaitlen at Nana’s Place currently. She is age 3 and she is following in the footsteps of her Sister. We truly love Nana’s Place and they have become part of our family."
Sincerely,
Dwight and Alicia Hash
"Hi Mr. Luther!
I am touching base to share with you some of our wondrous experiences at Nanas Place. All experiences that we have encountered with Nana’s Place has been nothing, but the best! We have been a part of the Nana’s Place family for about 7 months. Kaleb started Nana’s Place on a different level of achievement than most of the other children in his class. With the set routine, dedicated staff/teachers, and structure of the school, I see a huge improvement. Kaleb has enjoyed participating school programs, field trips, Spanish class, and most importantly, is so excited about writing his letters/numbers and quoting his Bible Verses. He is definitely on the right path success. I have to say, that I attribute most of his success to this point to the strong foundation that Nana’s Place has provided. I am well pleased with the preschool that I have chosen for my son. I could not have picked a better one. Nana’s Place is definitely a huge asset at this point in our lives. Thank you so much for all that you do.
The Spears
"I am a African-American single mother of a now 4 year old son, as such I am grimly aware of the statistics out there and the odds regarding my son's future. For that reason I did exhaustive research on pre-kindergarten educational options for my child.
In the fall of 2009 I initially had my son enrolled in a church facility, but after about a year I realized that although the facility was a loving and safe environment it was nothing more than a daycare and given my son's educational potential he needed a learning center. With limited funds, I again started my quest and was overwhelmed with the choices and the cost. One day I mentioned my frustration to a friend and he suggested Nana's Place Learning Academy.
I called and set up an appointment with Mrs. Karen. We met and talked. I liked the aspect that they were family owned and had a Christian element. I was further impressed with the curriculum they laid out for their students. The curriculum included Abeka books, Christmas Plays and Black History plays with memorized parts and a great expectation of engaged parent involvement. I was sold and although it initially was a financial sacrifice I felt the return on my investment outweighed the cost and the cost was small compared to the other schools that didn't come close to Nana's Place's curriculum.
I am very delighted I made the choice to enroll my at the time 3 year old son, my only concern is when he leaves Nana's Place and enters into CMS he will be too ahead of his fellow kindergartens. For now, I just reveal in my child's progress and pray when the time comes the next stop be it public or private school will be both as enriching and affordable as Nana's Place Learning Academy.
Sincerely,
Colette Forrest