The Coweta County School System is currently taking applications for a limited number of Pre-K slots. Interested parents have until March 18 to submit applications for the Pre-K lottery that will be held later that day.

School system spokesperson Dean Jackson said parents who wish to secure a spot for their child in next year’s Coweta County School System pre-kindergarten classes can do so at their child’s district school.

Jackson said parents can visit their child’s district school and complete a Coweta County Pre-K application form for each child and place it in the lottery box at the school. No enrollment documentation is required to apply for the Pre-K lottery, Jackson said.

Coweta elementary schools are accepting Pre-K applications for eligible students on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March 16. To accommodate parents’ work schedules, elementary schools will hold an expanded lottery enrollment day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. Applications will be accepted through noon of the day of the drawing, on Friday, March 18 through noon, Jackson said.

Pre-K application ends at noon on Friday, March 18, and drawing for spots will be held at schools at 1:00 p.m. on that day. Parents do not need to be present for the drawing on March 18.

Pre-K students in the, Ruth Hill, Elm Street, Atkinson, and Jefferson Parkway districts will apply for slots at Jefferson Parkway Elementary School since those schools’ Pre-K classes are located at Jefferson Parkway. All other students should apply at their district school.

Children must be four years old on or before September 1, 2011 to be eligible for next year’s pre-kindergarten. Parents can call call 770-254-2820 to inquire about which elementary school district serves their home.

Jackson said that, unlike other elementary school grades, there are a limited number of Pre-K classes in Coweta schools. If more than 20 students apply for an available Pre-K class, the school must hold a lottery drawing to determine placement in the class. The first 20 students drawn will be awarded a spot in that school’s Pre-K class; the remaining names will be placed in order of draw on a waiting list for that school, in case spots in the class open later.

After the March 18 lottery drawing, parents will be able to formally register their child for 2011-2012 pre-kindergarten, at the Central Registration Office, 167 Werz Industrial Drive, said Jackson. Registration for Pre-K classes will be held on different weeks at the Center in April, depending on which elementary school a child will attend.

Early registration for new kindergarten students will be held separately in May.