Georgia’s Pre-K program is a FREE state lottery-funded educational program for all age- eligible four-year old children in Georgia. The purpose of the Georgia’s Pre-K is to prepare children for success in Kindergarten and later school years. The program operates on the regular school system calendar for the length of the school day. We follow the Columbia County School Systems calendar. To participate, children must be four years of age on or before September 1st of the school year and must be a resident of Georgia. Proof that a child is age-eligible and is a Georgia resident is required to register for Pre–K.