Contact Teaching and Learning Center

 Address: 505 S. Main Street, Suite 400, Las Cruces, NM 88001

 Phone: (575) 527-5818

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Content Information

Advanced PreK

Thank you for your interest in the Advanced PreK Program in Las Cruces Public Schools!

The application window for 2024-2025 is now closed.

The application window for 2025-2026 will open in February 2025.

The Las Cruces Public Schools Advanced Pre-K classroom is designed to serve students who do not meet the age requirements to start kindergarten, are kindergarten ready in terms of social and emotional behaviors, and exhibit characteristics of advanced learning, as measured by screenings.  The program is a collaboration between New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Las Cruces Public School (LCPS) and serves as a lab school for NMSU early childhood programs.

The foundation of the Pre-K for Advanced Learners classroom is rooted in the seminal work of Dr. Lev Vygotsky. At the core of Vygotsky’s theory is the idea that child development is the result of interactions between children and their social environment. These interactions involve people—parents and teachers, playmates and schoolmates, brothers and sisters. They also involve cultural artifacts, such as books or toys, as well as culturally specific practices in which a child engages in the classroom, at home, or on the playground. Children are active partners in all of these interactions, constructing knowledge, skills, and attitudes, not just mirroring the world around them.

General Information

  • Location:
    Myrna Children’s Village at NMSU
    4101 Sam Steel Way, Las Cruces, NM 88003

  • Transportation:
    Parents must be able to transport their child to and from the Children’s Village Pre-K classroom at NMSU. No transportation is provided.

  • Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8-2 and Friday 8-12

  • Aftercare: Available for a fee from NMSU's School For Young Children (575) 646-7933 Monday - Thursday, 2-5:30

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack are provided, free of charge

Admission Criteria

Age Requirements

Must turn 5 between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30

Behavioral Requirements

Must be able to consistently demonstrate behavioral expectations to include following directions and keeping hands/feet/objects to self. Students who are admitted to the program and demonstrate difficulty with these behavioral requirements will not be able to remain enrolled.

Screening

Must show characteristics of advanced learning based on verbal and non-verbal learning

Tuition

Free

For more information

Las Cruces Public Schools Teaching & Learning Center

(575) 527-5818