WESTPORT — Screenings for local preschool children, defined as “at risk” under Title I criteria, are planned June 7 by Westport public school officials.

Children who have had limited exposure to a structured preschool curriculum in preparation for elementary school are considered “at risk,” according to federal and local Title I eligibility guidelines.

School officials said at-risk criteria include: a child who has limited English proficiency; a family financially unable to afford a structured preschool, and a child who may have developmental delays. 

If a child qualifies for the Title I program, he or she may be eligible to be enrolled, at no cost, in the town’s Stepping Stones Preschool for the coming academic year.

Screenings to determine eligibility will take place Friday, June 7 — by appointment — at Stepping Stones Preschool at Coleytown Elementary School, 65 Easton Road. To participate, a child’s parents must reside in Westport; the child must have been at least 3 years old as of June 1, 2023, and the child cannot be eligible for kindergarten in 2024-25 (5 years old before this Sept. 1). 

Conducted by Stepping Stones staff, screenings will evaluate a child’s “concepts, language, motor, self help and social emotional skills,” according to the school district’s announcement.

To make a screening appointment, contact Diane Marcinowski at 203-341-1712.

For more information about Title I or Stepping Stones Preschool, contact Michele Pollock at 203-341-1765.