South Carolina Section 59-63-20 on Age of Attendance:

It is not lawful for any person who is less than five or more than twenty-one years of age to attend any of the public schools of this State, including kindergarten, except that:

(3) Students may enter kindergarten in the public schools of this State if they will attain the age of five on or before September first of the applicable school year or have substantially initiated a public school kindergarten program in another state that has a different attendance age requirement from South Carolina;  

(4) Students may not enter the first grade in the public schools of this State unless they will attain the age of six on or before September first of the applicable school year or have substantially initiated a first grade program in another state that has a different attendance age requirement from South Carolina or have attended a public school kindergarten program for one full school year;  

(5) The restrictions in this section may be waived by the local board of school trustees in any proper case. However, that if the provisions of items (3) and (4) of this section are not complied with, the school district is not entitled to receive any state aid for any students who fail to meet these requirements;  

(6) Four-year-olds may attend optional child development programs and all three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old children with disabilities in accordance with their individual education program, may participate in any public education preschool program, including optional child development programs. Children with disabilities served in four-year-old optional child development programs may be counted for funding under both funding sources.

Each elementary school within Clover School District houses at least one pre-kindergarten class. There are a total of fifteen classes across the district.

Each elementary school within Clover School District houses at least one pre-kindergarten class. There are a total of fifteen classes across the district.

South Carolina law states, “Students may enter pre-kindergarten in public school if they attain the age of four on or before September 1st of the applicable school year.”

Pre-K registration begins in February (dates vary). There are two major placement periods prior to the start of the school year. The first is held in the spring, and the second in the summer. You can still register through December after a new school year has begun. Anyone that registers after the summer placement period will be added to the program wait list for any available openings that may occur through December.

Parents/Guardians register their age-eligible child through the online registration system on the Clover School District website for the applicable school year. As part of the online registration form, you will digitally submit your child's birth certificate, current immunization records, and two proofs of residency. Once all items are completed and received, you will schedule an appointment for a developmental screener assessment. Submitting the required registration documentation does not guarantee placement into the program.

The pre-k program houses approximately three hundred students. Due to high interest, we have procedures in place to determine student placement. After completing the online registration form and submitting the required documentation, you will schedule an appointment for a developmental screener assessment. These are brief assessments that evaluate a child's developmental level in the areas of motor skills, literacy skills, and mathematical concepts as compared to national norms of same-age peers. 

Placement is determined by an overall rubric score that is rank-ordered from those that indicate the highest need for pre-k to those that indicate the lowest need. The rubric score consist of the screening results and “at-risk” factors determined from the registration form. Children with scores that indicate the highest need for pre-k are placed first. Any children remaining on the list after all placements have been made will go onto the program waiting list for any available openings that may occur through December. 

Hardship requests are not permitted within the pre-kindergarten program due to the placement process. Parents/Guardians can make requests, but they are only considered once all students have been placed and a vacancy still exists.

Please refer to the link below for the guidelines established by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Immunization Requirements 2023-2024

There is not a district cost specific to attending the pre-k program. 

The program is a full day, full year program and follows a district attendance policy. A pre-kindergarten student is allowed only ten unexcused absences before they will be required to forfeit their slot in the program. Two unexcused tardies/early leaves (early departures or instances of leaving school early) are considered equal to one unexcused absence. Pre-kindergarten students follow the CSD school calendar for the applicable school year, except for starting school one week after the regular school year begins.

In order to qualify for the program, your child must reside within the Clover School District attendance zone, and be age four on or before September 1st of the applicable school year. If your child qualifies to register, their placement in the program will be determined through the placement process. If your child is placed in the program, your family must adhere to the following policies: (1) pre-kindergarten attendance policy, (2) the child must be independently toilet-trained, and (3) if the child moves out of the CSD attendance zone, they will withdraw from the program.

The Montessori philosophy embraces the whole child's curiosity and love of learning. Children will reach their full potential both academically and socially when given the freedom to actively work with concrete, sequential materials within a carefully prepared environment and open-ended curriculum. Teachers provide enough guidance to help children work toward independence and self-discipline. A multi-age classroom provides maximum opportunities for developing social and academic skills and modeling respectful behavior. The goal of a Montessori classroom is to produce competent, responsible, adaptive citizens who are lifelong learners and problem-solvers. For more information about Montessori education, visit https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/What-Is-Montessori.

Children in a Montessori classroom are given freedom within limits to engage in meaningful and purposeful work. Teachers encourage children to think for themselves and become actively engaged in the learning process. For details about typical classroom structure visit https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/Inside-the-Montessori-Classroom/Early-Childhood. 

The Montessori program is held at Griggs Road Elementary School.

The Montessori program consists of multi-age classes with 3, 4, and 5-year-old children. South Carolina law requires that a child must be age 3 or 4 on or before September 1st of the applicable school year. 

The registration procedures are as follows: (1) Must reside within the Clover School District attendance zones, (2) Must meet the age requirements (age 3 or 4 on or before September 1st of applicable school year), (3) Parents/Guardians must attend a parent information meeting to receive the program registration forms, (4) The registration forms, along with the required documentation (child's birth certificate, current immunization records, and two proofs of residency) will be digitally submitted before the specified deadline.

Completed registrations that have been submitted on or before the specified deadline will be considered for placement. Placement is determined by a blind lottery drawing for any available openings in each age group. Those students that were not placed in the available openings will be added to the program waiting list in the order in which they were drawn in the lottery. The families with pre-kindergarten aged children that were not placed in the program will have the option to be screened for the CSD pre-kindergarten program OR placed on the Montessori waiting list. 

Anyone that qualifies to register may do so, regardless of the Clover School District zone in which they reside. However, bus transportation is only provided for 4 and 5-year-old students that live within the Griggs Road Elementary attendance zone, all others must provide their own school transportation. Students that are placed in the program that do not reside in the Griggs Road zone will return to their zoned elementary school at the conclusion of the Montessori grade levels.

Please refer to the link below for the guidelines established by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. 
Immunization Requirements 2023-2024

The program follows a district attendance policy. A Montessori student is allowed only ten unexcused absences before they will be required to forfeit his/her slot in the program. Two unexcused tardies/early leaves (early departures or instances of leaving school early) are considered equal to one unexcused absence.

The following is the attendance requirements for each age group within the class: (1) 5-year-old students attend a full instructional day, and follow the CSD school calendar for the applicable school year. (2) 4-year-old students attend a full instructional day, and follow the CSD school calendar for the applicable school year. These students will begin the school year one week after the regular school year begins. (3) 3-year-old students attend a half instructional day (dismiss at 11:00am), and follow the CSD school calendar for the applicable school year. These students will begin the school year two weeks after the regular school year begins, and will not attend if the school has a delayed start time due to weather.

In order to qualify for the program, your child must reside within the Clover School District attendance zone and be age-eligible. If your child qualifies to register, their placement in the program will be determined through the lottery drawing. If your child is placed in the program, your family must adhere to the following policies: (1) Montessori attendance policy, (2) the child must be independently toilet-trained, and (3) if the child moves out of the CSD attendance zone, they will withdraw from the program. 

The design and structure of the Montessori classroom provides the best learning experiences for your child if they remain in the program all three years. If your child is placed in the Montessori program as a 3-year-old student, you are making a two-year commitment to the program. If the student is withdrawn after the first year, parents/guardians will not be permitted to register their child for another CSD 4-year-old pre-k program.