When do i enroll my child in kindergarten

As of September , there are only 19 states plus the District of Columbia that require children to attend kindergarten based on state statutes or regulations, according to the Education Commission of the States. For parents in the other states, the decision to send their child to kindergarten depends on personal beliefs as well as the compulsory school attendance laws in their area.

According to data from , in some states, school is compulsory beginning at age 5. For example, Arkansas, Hawaii, and Maryland require kids to start school at age 5. Colorado, Florida, and Georgia set the age at 6 Pennsylvania recently changed their age to 6 as well. The differences in rules as well as the developmental range of individual children can leave many parents wondering what factors affect the age kids should start kindergarten. According to Cheryl Broadnax , senior director of district improvement at StriveTogether, some of the key factors that families consider when making this decision include:.

When it comes to signs that your child is ready for kindergarten, Rebecca Mannis , PhD, a learning specialist at Ivy Prep Learning Center, says to consider the following abilities and skills.

Additionally, Broadnax says there are several key academic indicators that a child is ready for kindergarten.

These include:. Though this term was typically associated with a college athlete sitting out a year to develop both physically and mentally, redshirting is now part of a decision matrix for kindergarten readiness. Mannis says by waiting a year, or by enrolling a child in a program with a tactical birthdate cutoff, parents ensure that their children will be among the older students in the grade.

In most states your child must be at least 5 years old to be eligible for kindergarten. The child should possess social and emotional characteristics that will allow him to behave in the way expected of kindergarten students. You have to fill out registration and emergency medical referral forms.

Check with your local district for their requirements. You may be asked to provide the following:. Share on Pinterest. Get the GreatSchools newsletter — our best articles, worksheets and more delivered weekly. Sign up. Choosing the wrong college can be bad for mental health Choosing the wrong college can be bad for mental health. What is transitional kindergarten? Does my child need any immunizations? What do I need in order to register and enroll my child in school? I have questions about a specific school in my area.

Who should I ask? Find the school s in your area that your child can attend. If you can not visit in person, many schools and schools districts have websites that provide important information about enrollment criteria. Visit a school or go on a tour. Especially January through March, most schools allow parents to visit and see what a typical school day looks like; the size of the school, playground, and classrooms; and the teachers and staff working and interacting with the children.

Check with the school for the best days and hours to visit. School tours, which are usually organized by the school staff or active parents, also give you a better sense of whether or not the school is the right fit for your child.

Ask your school tour guide about the specific information the school will need from you in order to register your child in school, and when all of it is due. Attend an informational fair.

Elementary schools offer an admissions priority to applicants whose siblings attend the same school. To make sure your child gets sibling priority, be sure to provide sibling information when you apply. This includes students enrolled in District 75 programs in the same school building.

If your child is currently enrolled in pre-K at a DOE public elementary school, they will have an admissions priority to attend kindergarten at that school. Not all elementary schools have pre-K. Reminder: Students currently attending pre-K at a public elementary school still need to apply to kindergarten.

Most schools give an admissions priority to students in their own district over students who live in other districts. Tip: Use MySchools to see which zoned schools admitted non-zoned students last year. Different non-zoned schools have different admissions priorities, but most non-zoned schools give an admissions priority to students who live in the same district as the school.

Some districts—such as Districts 1, 7, and 23 have district-specific admissions priorities. Elementary schools across the city are participating in an initiative to increase diversity in their programs by giving admissions priorities to students who qualify for free and reduced lunch FRL , students in temporary housing, English Language Learners, and other groups. Learn more about diversity in admissions in the current list of schools participating in diversity initiatives.

Please contact schools directly or check their websites to learn if they will hold virtual open houses or information sessions. Kindergarten admissions is not first come, first served—all applications submitted online, by phone, or in person by the deadline will be treated the same based on admissions priorities. Kindergarten offers are released in the spring. Your offer letter states where your child will go to kindergarten in the fall.

It also includes information about waitlists, including where your child is waitlisted, if applicable. Schools use waitlists to fill seats that become available after kindergarten offers are made in the spring.

Your child will automatically be on the waitlist for any school you listed higher on your kindergarten application than the school where your child got an offer. Schools will contact you directly if they are able to offer your child a seat from the waitlist.

First, accept your kindergarten offer to secure your child's seat. You can accept your offer in one of the following ways:. If your family moves during the admissions process, call or contact your new zoned school to update your information and talk about changes to your kindergarten application or program.

This book provides an overview of admissions processes and resources for EarlyLearn childcare for eligible families , 3-K, pre-K, kindergarten, middle school, and high school, including a section on how to use MySchools. School Year