BTW- I feel like I should give a little disclaimer just in case I have mentioned that I am a SAHM in some previous post.
I am home most of the time. I have a couple of houses that I clean and an office that I clean on the weekends.
However, I also have a 3 1/2 year old who tantrums a LOT. He is also far enough behind that I cannot get him caught up quickly enough without some help since I have 5 other children (3 bios and 2 siblings to my fit thrower). He knows every detail of the movie "Ghost Rider", but doesn't know his colors, recognize the first letter of his name or how to count to 3. He doesn't even know that he IS 3.
I'd like to chime in. Foster kids qualify for a full day of head start/preschool whether you work, go to school, or stay at home. Some workers would prefer that their foster kiddos go to school to enhance social skills and for the very reasons you mentioned like not knowing colors, unable to count but can recite movie lines.
Problem is TV was probably the babysitter in your fk's home and mom probably never took the time to teach the child simple things that the rest of us teach our kids like teaching them their colors, counting or putting a puzzle together etc.
Legally you aren't required to give any personal information such as financial, proof of employment etc. all that should be required is the paperwork that shows you are the caregiver and proof of the child's income (stipend).
Ask around and double check this info for your area. You can also call other head starts in the area And ask them what info is required if you're enrolling a foster child.
Some places are not always compliant...I'm having problems with a local elementary school.
Good luck