Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Enroll Thousands of Pre-K Students with Parchment

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), North Carolina’s second-largest public school district, processes thousands of Pre-K applications each year. However, traditional enrollment processes created significant challenges, prompting the district to partner with Parchment to modernize operations and better serve its families.

Dr. Chris Law, CMS’s former director of Pre-K services, shared how transitioning to all-digital Pre-K enrollment has transformed the district and reduced obstacles. Keep reading to learn more.

Barriers to Pre-K Access: Transportation, Language, and Delays

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), home to the Bright Beginnings and North Carolina Pre-K programs, screens thousands of pre-kindergarten children annually. However, these processes were plagued by inefficiencies. Dr. Law explained that there was a large “volume of paperwork associated with each child and family that had to be processed for a child to qualify for a seat in our programs.” And each one required “a good bit of compliance tracking to stay on top of everything,” he added.

Families also faced obstacles with the enrollment system, which required visiting a single facility by appointment. Dr. Law noted, “Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a really large district, and many of our families have difficulty with transportation.” He added, “There are also issues with language access and being able to get accurate information on how to apply for a program that will meet their child’s needs.”

These issues often resulted in missed appointments or incomplete applications. For families needing to reschedule, delays could extend six to eight weeks, risking timely access to the district’s limited Pre-K seats. Dr. Law highlighted, “We have just under 4,800 seats available in our programs each year. And because we have to screen more kids than we can actually place, it’s vital to have a mechanism to handle the volume.”

To address these challenges, CMS recognized the need for modernization — focusing on streamlining operations, increasing accessibility, and ensuring timely processing.

Empowering Families Through Digital Innovation

Dr. Law emphasized, “Being able to accommodate the needs of families is critical to us.” And in the district’s search for a comprehensive digital solution, CMS found Parchment Pre-K Enroll and K-12 Document Management. These tools helped the district tackle long-standing challenges by transitioning to an all-digital enrollment process.

“We chose Parchment because of its ability to manage documents effectively and streamline enrollment,” said Dr. Law. Plus, the flexibility and user-friendliness of the platform also addressed other key pain points, such as language accessibility and document tracking.

With the new system, families could create profiles, upload required documents digitally, and submit applications without needing to visit a physical location. For CMS, this meant fewer bottlenecks and faster processing times; not to mention an improved overall experience for both staff and families.

A Streamlined Transition to Digital Enrollment

Dr. Law described the onboarding process as smooth and collaborative, with Parchment’s training team playing a vital role in supporting CMS staff.

“We deal with a lot of vendors, and training an experienced staff on something completely new can be stressful,” said Dr. Law. “Thankfully, we were able to work with the trainers who could get us to the high level that our staff needed,” emphasizing that “the whole team has been very open to the product.”

CMS initially adopted a gradual rollout strategy to ensure a seamless transition, including educating families on using the platform and redesigning internal workflows. Dr. Law shared, “Now we have an online application that lets us manage documents effectively and efficiently to get children into a seat in one of our programs in a timely fashion.”

By taking this phased approach, CMS fully replaced its outdated systems with a more efficient and accessible enrollment process.

With the new system, families could create profiles, upload required documents digitally, and submit applications without needing to visit a physical location. For CMS, this meant fewer bottlenecks and faster processing times; not to mention an improved overall experience for both staff and families.

The Transformative Impact of Parchment Pre-K Enroll

The implementation of Parchment Pre-K Enroll and K-12 Document Management has transformed CMS’s pre-kindergarten enrollment process — leading to significant improvements in efficiency, accessibility, and satisfaction.

Families can now complete the entire application process online, eliminating in-person appointments and reducing barriers for those with transportation or scheduling challenges. The digital platform has also streamlined compliance tracking, allowing CMS to manage a high application volume with greater accuracy and speed.

Dr. Law shared, “Thanks to Parchment Pre-K Enroll, a family can leave a message for our staff, and we can get right on whatever they need.” He added, “It changes our workflow. It allows our staff to go ahead and serve all of the families today instead of whenever we can get back to them.”

The district is already seeing increased engagement and smoother workflows from the transition, and Dr. Law believed this success is just the beginning.

There’s always more to learn.