Hudson Community 4K Program

2024-2025 4K Enrollment Information

  • 4K online enrollment opens in Skyward Family Access on February 9, 2024
  • If you are interested in Open Enrollment – click here.
  • Due to construction at North Hudson and EP Rock Elementary Schools, the 4K school sites for the 2024-2025 school year will be Willow River (2 classrooms) and River Crest (1 classroom).

2024-2025 4K Wrap Care Lottery & Registration


4K Student Enrollment Requirements

As part of the enrollment process, you will need the following documents verified in-person:

The easiest way to have your documents verified in-person is to bring your documents to the 4K/Kindergarten Enrollment Night on Monday, February 12 (see details above).

  • Valid Photo ID of Parent
    • Unexpired Driver’s License
    • Passport
    • Government issued ID card with full name and date of birth.
  • Verification of your child’s age. Note: The parent enrolling the child must be listed on the child’s verification of age document.
    • Official Birth Certificate (No photocopies are accepted. The School District will not make copies or keep the birth certificate).
    • Passport
    • Health Record
  • Proof of address in the Hudson School District:
    • Recent utility bill with name and address.
    • Lease agreement.
    • Mortgage statement.
  • Immunization record (State law requires all public and private school students to present written evidence of immunization against certain diseases. These requirements can only be waived if a properly signed health, religious or personal conviction waiver is filed with the school).
    • Wisconsin state immunization record.
    • Out of state immunization record.
  • Verification of parent/guardian identity and relationship — official photo identification (driver’s license, passport, or government issued ID) and the child’s birth certificate or court documentation providing proof of parent/guardian relationship.

If you did not attend the February 12, 2024 Enrollment Night to have your documents verified, you will need to bring the documents to one of the elementary schools for verification.


4K Registration General Information

  • Children must be 4 years of age on or before September 1st of the year they plan to attend school in order to register for a 4K program.
  • If your child attended the Hudson School District Community 4K program, you can register online using Skyward Family Access (click here).
  • If you have not already registered with the Hudson School District as a 4K student, please call an elementary school or click here to begin the online process.
  • Please bring proof of residency (i.e. a utility bill, rental lease, mortgage).
  • Student transportation is available for the 4K program to certain sites in your attendance area.

4K Transportation

Read more to learn about when 4K transportation is available and the expectations for pick-up and drop-off.

  • Transportation is provided for 4K students with driveway pick-up and drop-off. 4K students are exempt from walking boundaries.
  • 4K students will ride an elementary bus when possible and will sit in the front seats. The 4K program also uses mini-buses and vans, especially for the mid-day transports.
  • A parent/guardian must be present for 4K students to be dropped off at the end of the day, otherwise the student will be brought back to their 4K site for parent/guardian pick-up. Upon parent request, older siblings may be present for this responsibility at the School District’s discretion.
  • If you are enrolling in wrap care, it is important to note that you could receive transportation either to or from your assigned 4K class, but not to or from wrap care. Exceptions include:
    • 4K students at a School District site that live in the school boundary are eligible for transportation before/after wrap care.
    • St. Patrick and Trinity 4K students who have a sibling that rides the bus are eligible for transportation before/after wrap care.

2024-2025 School Year

Elementary School Attendance Area Transportation provided to these sites:
EP Rock
  • Bear Buddies
  • Northstar Early Learning Center 
  • Simply Giggle Montessori
  • YMCA 
  • River Crest Elementary
Houlton
  • Trinity Academy (West) 
  • St. Patrick
  • Willow River Elementary 
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center
Hudson Prairie
  • YMCA 
  • Trinity Early Childhood Academy (East)
  • St. Patrick
  • Trinity Academy (West) 
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center 
  • Willow River Elementary
North Hudson
  • Trinity Academy (West)
  • St. Patrick
  • Willow River Elementary
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center
River Crest
  • Bear Buddies
  • Northstar Early Learning Center
  • Simply Giggle Montessori
  • River Crest Elementary
Willow River
  • Trinity Academy (West)
  • St. Patrick
  • Willow River Elementary
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center

Bethel Highlands Preschool has opted out of Hudson School District Transportation. If you select this community provider, or a provider that is not in your attendance area, you are responsible for arranging your own transportation to and from school.

The 4K new student enrollment process that opens in February only has a yes/no option for transportation. Once site placements are determined in June, families will be contacted with additional information about transportation.

2023-2024 School Year

Elementary School Attendance Area Transportation provided to these sites:
EP Rock
  • Bear Buddies
  • Northstar Early Learning Center 
  • Simply Giggle Montessori
  • YMCA 
  • EP Rock Elementary
Houlton
  • Trinity Academy (West) 
  • St. Patrick
  • North Hudson Elementary 
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center
Hudson Prairie
  • YMCA 
  • Trinity Early Childhood Academy (East)
  • St. Patrick
  • Trinity Academy (West) 
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center 
North Hudson
  • Trinity Academy (West)
  • St. Patrick
  • North Hudson Elementary
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center
River Crest
  • Bear Buddies
  • Northstar Early Learning Center
  • Simply Giggle Montessori
Willow River
  • Trinity Academy (West)
  • St. Patrick
  • Willow River Elementary
  • Hudson Community Children’s Center


Welcome to Hudson Community 4K!

The focus of the Hudson Community 4K program is to offer every child in our community equal access to consistent, high quality preschool education.

Who are the community 4K providers?

Click on the providers below to access their websites for more information about their programs:

What are the learning expectations for children in the Hudson Community 4K Program?

The Hudson Community 4K Priority Standards are based on the WI Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS). Click here to view the Hudson 4K Priority Standards for learning and skill development. 

According to WI Department of Public Instruction, the WMELS provide a framework for families, educators, and policymakers to:

  • Share a common language and the responsibility for the wellbeing of children from birth to first grade.
  • Know and understand development expectations of young children.
  • Address what children should know and be able to do based on a continuum of development from birth to first grade.

The Learning Standards are based on current research and are developmentally appropriate practices. There are standards in each of the five developmental domains:

  1. Health and Physical Development (e.g., fine-motor and gross-motor skills)
  2. Social and Emotional Development (e.g., social skills and self-esteem)
  3. Language Development and Communication (e.g., listening, speaking, and reading readiness)
  4. Approaches to Learning (e.g., curiosity, persistence, and creativity)
  5. Cognition and General Knowledge (e.g., mathematical and scientific thinking and problem solving)

What is the focus of 4K? Isn’t this just “push down” from Kindergarten?

The focus of the 4K program is to offer every child in our community equal access to a consistent, high quality preschool education. 4K will provide a developmentally appropriate program to help children acquire social competencies and the skills they need to succeed as a learner. The curriculum focuses on physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and language development in a nurturing environment. 4K early learning professionals provide:

  • Active, creative, exploratory learning.
  • Social interaction.
  • Experiences to prepare the students for kindergarten.
  • Opportunities for choice.
  • Independence as well as small and large group activities.
  • Activities that emphasize process, rather than product.
  • Foundational skills to literacy and math development within an activity-based social environment.

Isn’t 4K just free childcare?

No. 4K is an early learning opportunity. Participation is free to children who are residents of the Hudson School District. Typically, 4K programs offer a structured instructional program of 12.5 hours per week as determined by the School District. 4K is not wrap-around childcare. If a family needs childcare before or after 4K programming at a 4K site, they must pay the childcare center for this service.

How do we serve students with special needs?

The Hudson School District’s Early Childhood Special Education Program is located at River Crest Elementary School and provides special education services at multiple community preschool and child care sites, as well as the child’s home. Early Childhood Special Education will continue to provide services to 4 year olds. The School District serves the needs of ALL students.

What is 4K outreach and how does it benefit families?

In addition to student learning time, 4K programs provide 87.5 hours of parent outreach. These hours are opportunities for parents to understand how they can further support their child’s learning at home. The outreach information is planned based on parent interest and need as well as the needs of the 4K site.

Can a family open enroll into the Hudson School District’s 4K program?

Open enrollment applies to four-year-old kindergarten, prekindergarten, early childhood education and school-operated day care only if the child’s resident school district offers the same type of program the child wishes to attend and only if the child is eligible for the program in his or her resident school district.

Are there early entrance opportunities for 4K?

Hudson School District will not be offering early entrance to 4K. Children enrolling must be 4 years of age on or before September 1st of the year they intend to enroll.