What is Pre-K?
First 8 Memphis Pre-K operators coordinate and provide early childhood education services to support young children’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development to ensure Kindergarten readiness. Students and families receive wraparound services to support students’ healthy growth and development through screenings, referrals, and ongoing engagement to meet the individualized needs of families.
Pre-K leverages Porter-Leath's quality early childhood education experience to provide one solid, quality year of early childhood education immediately prior to kindergarten. Pre-K teaches core academic skills and knowledge, but also provides each student with the ability to learn the social skills necessary to be successful in an academic environment. For the 2023-2024 academic year, children need to be 4 years old by August 15, 2023.
Purpose
To prepare 4 year olds at specific First 8 Memphis Pre-K sites for kindergarten through academic achievement, physical development, and social skill building.
Description

Porter-Leath's First 8 Memphis Pre-K is an early childhood partnership with local charter schools and Porter-Leath Preschool locations. Pre-K provides preschool for 4 year olds in schools so that they will enter kindergarten ready to learn. Students benefit not only from the academic portion of Pre-K, but also the wrap around services that Porter-Leath offers, providing each child with health, disability and nutrition services as well as family services. Students greatly benefit from the socialization aspect of Pre-K, which teaches them how to be a student so that they are ready to go from Day 1 of kindergarten.
Express your interest in Pre-K:
Interest FORM
*The process for enrolling your child in Pre-K begins by filling out the interest form above. Once the application is received, a member of Porter-Leath's staff will contact you and schedule time for the next steps of the enrollment process.
Locations:
Services Provided
- Individualized early childhood development resources
- Health and developmental screenings, including speech, hearing, vision and lead exposure
- Medical, dental and mental health services
- Parental involvement and education, including nutritional counseling
- In-home family support and counseling
Benefits
- Enhanced school readiness for low-income children
- Guaranteed quality of services through a unique management structure, monitoring, training and content development
- Full range of highly qualified and trained staff comprised of teachers, assistants, family service and health workers and nutritionists
History
In 2012, Porter-Leath expanded preschool services by partnering with KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools to provide preschool services for 5 classrooms. Porter-Leath then expanded preschool services by partnering with the Achievement School District in 2013 and has increased the number of students served each year. Porter-Leath now provides First 8 Memphis Pre-K at local charter schools and Porter-Leath Preschool locations.
Return to Porter-Leath preschool Homepage to learn more about our other program options