Kindergarten Registration is Happening Across the Lehigh Valley

When my son began kindergarten, his primary-colored backpack was almost as big as his body, and the folder, pencil case and box of crayons he carried hardly filled the bag’s vast expanse.  Why, you might be wondering, am I reminiscing about the beginning of the school year when the current year is racing to a close? 

It’s because all parents of preschoolers need to know that kindergarten registration is happening across the Lehigh Valley now.

Most school districts have websites that give you the district’s kindergarten registration dates as well as the necessary documents you need to register your child – usually an updated immunization record, birth certificate and proof of residence – and they’ll also set up a visit for you and your child before her first day of kindergarten.

But don’t worry if you check your district’s website and see the registration dates have passed.  They still want to hear from you so they can be ready for your child.  Schools use registration information to determine class size, materials needed and bus schedules for the upcoming school year. 

Here’s something you might not know: Each school district in Pennsylvania has a school board that’s responsible for establishing the age your child has to be to begin kindergarten. 

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website, local school boards have the “right and responsibility for establishing the age at which a child can begin the kindergarten program. Once the age requirement is established, districts cannot refuse admission to a child that meets the age requirement.”

What this means is that if you’re the parent of a preschooler in Nazareth your child must turn five prior to September 1 in order to start kindergarten for the 2013-14 school year; whereas, the cut-off is completely different in Bethlehem where a child has to turn five on or before October 1 in order to begin kindergarten. 

Take note: there are sixteen different school districts in the Lehigh Valley alone, all with different school start dates and different cut-off dates, but the only one you have to worry about is the district in which you live.

Before your child boards the big yellow bus to school you can help get him ready for kindergarten with some free downloadable activity guides, Kindergarten Here I Come! and Kindergarten Here I Am!, from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. 

The activities in the guides are linked to Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards for kindergarten.  These standards are being used in kindergarten classrooms across Pennsylvania as a framework for curriculum and assessment in the classroom.   To download the guides go to http://paprom.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=LIECIndex .

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