Although North Dakota does not have universal Prekindergarten, we do have Prekindergarten options for families in and around Minot Air Force Base! We have Head Start, PreK at Glenburn Public School, and Special Education PreK through Minot Public Schools.
Head Start has three PreK classrooms for ages three to five-years-old: one at Dakota Elementary School with 15-17 spots; one at Minot State University with 15-17 spots, and one at the Minot Area Workforce Academy with 17 spots. In addition, five PreK classrooms exist at the Main Center Building at 2815 Burdick Expressway East in Minot with 14 spots each. After speaking with Director, Ms. Karen Knowles, on July 10th 2025, their entire PreK program needs 60 more children. Head Start serves 139 Preschoolers and 50 babies in total. Sign-ups continue all year and class assignments are selected after Labor Day. Parents can request their location via a drop-down menu on the online application, which can be found at the Minot Public Schools Website – Our Schools – Other – Minot Head Start: https://headstart.minot.k12.nd.us/en-US.
Head Start hours are 8:30am-3:30pm Monday through Thursday at all locations, except the Main Center which is open from 8am-4pm Monday through Thursday. There is no cost to the family once accepted. If you are receiving SNAP, Head Start is on the qualifying list, so you do not need to show your income (this legislation was passed about 1.5 years ago). If you’re interested in registering or have any questions, please complete their online application and/or contact their Family Services Office at (701) 857-4688.
Glenburn Public School has one PreK classroom with a total of 15 spots. Sign-ups are full for the upcoming SY 2025-2026; however, a waitlist has started in case a student moves/drops enrollment, so please call for SY 2025-2026 if interested. Openings will start in May for the following year. The current monthly cost to attend is $200. There is also busing to and from MAFB for those enrolled. The PreK classroom hours are 8:30am to 3:10pm Monday through Thursday. Your child must be four years old before August 1st of the year your child is enrolled. This is due to the following ND Legislation: 15.1-22-02, Subsection 6 of the North Dakota Century Code states that a school district may not enroll a student in kindergarten that is not five years old before August 1 of the year of enrollment. If you’re interested in registering your child, please contact the Glenburn Public School Main Office at (701) 362-7426.
Minot Public Schools offers PreK for students with Special Education needs. Your child with any speech concerns or delays would be referred to the PreK program and more information can be found at: https://www.minot.k12.nd.us/en-US/special-services-995f0f06.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not include the various daycare options for these same ages of three to five years-old that exist both in town and on base: Child Development Center: Four Preschool Classrooms (two of the four have 12 spots, the other two have 24 spots). All are full currently; however, 17 children are moving to the Youth Center around August, so spots will be available – for more information, please contact their front office at (701) 723-3750; FCC Program (numerous daycare providers available) – for more information, please contact Ms. Arika Ekker at (701) 723-6662; and local daycares which – if enrolled –can be found at the quality rating online directory known as Bright&Early ND. More information can be found at: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/cfs/early-childhood-services/brightnd.
PreK lays a crucial foundation for future learning and development. As a Head Start PreK teacher from 2015-2018, I know firsthand how very impactful early education can be for children and recommend you register your student for one of the options available on and around Minot Air Force Base.
The information in this article is provided as a resource and does not constitute endorsement by Minot AFB, the United States Air Force, or the Department of Defense of the external website, or the information, products, or services contained therein.
