Wake ThreeSchool Overview
NEW! In-person Application Events
Wake ThreeSchool will hold walk-in application events to assist families with their application needs.
WHEN: Every other Tuesday, 2pm-4:30 (Feb. 14 & 28; March 24 & 28, April 11& 25, May 9 & 23)
WHERE: Wake County Smart Start, 4901 Waters Edge Drive #101, Raleigh, NC 27606
To request an in-person or virtual application appointment, please click here to submit a request form.
Wake ThreeSchool program staff will reach out to you via your preferred contact method to confirm your application appointment within 2-3 business days. For additional questions, please contact wtsapp@wakesmartstart.org.
The following information can be found to help navigate applying for Wake ThreeSchool programs for the 2022-2023 & 2023-2024 school years.
Please verify that you are reviewing the correct information and using the correct link for the corresponding school year for which you are applying.
Wake ThreeSchool is a new early learning program for Wake County three-year-olds that opened its classrooms for the first time for the 2022-2023 school year.
This new program provides early education to young children in a play-based, dynamic environment, similar to the nationally recognized NC Pre-K program. Research shows when three-year-old children receive support for learning early, they learn better, gain stronger skills and are better prepared for success in Pre-K and Kindergarten ahead. This is because at age three, a child’s brain is building connections rapidly in a way that is unique to this time of life. This “framework” is what all future learning is built upon.
SY 2022-2023 Wake ThreeSchool Sites
Please note that this list is subject to change for SY 2023-2024.
- ABC Land 2
- Academically Based Child Care Center
- A Safe Place- Clarendon
- A Safe Place- Crosslink
- Bright Beginnings Child Development Center
- Child Care Network #125
- The Happy Face
- Wakefield Creative School
For a map view of all Wake ThreeSchool sites, please click here.
The Wake ThreeSchool Program is only available for eligible Wake County residents. Please click here for additional verification regarding Wake County residency.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The below chart contains the terms frequently used in communication regarding your child’s Wake ThreeSchool application.
| Term | Definition |
| Priority Group | Wake ThreeSchool may assign additional priority points for children who meet the criteria and provide complete documentation for these groups. These groups include children who have/are:
Please note that meeting the criteria for one or more priority groups does not guarantee placement in the Wake ThreeSchool program. |
| Priority Deadline | All applications that have been submitted and are completed by May 31, 2023 will be considered for the first round of placement. All applications that are submitted or completed after this date will be considered on a rolling basis as slots become available.
Please note that if your application has been submitted by 05/31/23 but is incomplete/missing documents, your application will not be able to be considered for the first round of placement. |
| Eligible | Family has a gross household income that is at or below 75% of State Median Income for the family size and/or meets one or more of the following criteria:
Please note that eligibility does not guarantee placement in the Wake ThreeSchool program. |
| Ineligible | Family has a gross household income that is above 75% State Median Income and does not meet criteria for any priority groups. |
| Waitlist | Family has a gross household income that is at or below 75% State Median Income but there are no open slots available.
OR Family has a gross household income that is above 75% State Median Income and meets the criteria for one or more of the priority groups but there are no open slots available. |
| Denied | Family has applied to Wake ThreeSchool and is ineligible due to reasons including but not limited to:
|
| Under Review | Wake ThreeSchool staff is reviewing the submitted application to determine if further documentation or information is needed to process the application and identify if the child is eligible/ineligible. |
| Final Review | The application has been fully processed by Wake ThreeSchool staff. The family will be contacted about their placement decision (placed/waitlist) in June 2023. |
| Missing Documents | The Wake ThreeSchool application has been submitted, but additional required documents are needed for the application to be considered complete. The application cannot be reviewed/processed by Wake ThreeSchool staff while the application is missing documents. |
| Incomplete | The Wake ThreeSchool application has been submitted, but information and/or documentation is missing from the application. The application cannot be reviewed/processed by Wake ThreeSchool staff while the application is incomplete. |
Important Documents
- SY 23-24 Application – English
- SY23-24 Application – Spanish
- Wake ThreeSchool Statement of No Income
- Wake ThreeSchool Estado de Cero Ingresos
- Wake ThreeSchool Statement of No Documentation of Income/Estado de No Documentación de Ingresos
- Wake ThreeSchool Employment Verification Form – English
- Formulario de Verificación de Empleo de Wake ThreeSchool
- Application Checklist – English
- Wake ThreeSchool Lista de Verificación