This month, First Lady Carney will join the Delaware Readiness Teams on Thursday, October 18th to launch Delaware’s first ever Kindergarten Registration Campaign.  Children who live in Delaware are eligible for kindergarten in fall of 2019 if they turn 5 by August 30, 2019.   I can imagine what you are thinking!  My child does not start kindergarten until next fall!  We barely settled into the new routine here at the ELC.   Why do I need to deal with kindergarten registration so early?   There are several reasons for you to be paying attention to kindergarten registration now.

First, the state of Delaware offers you school choice.  This means that you can choose to enroll your child in a charter school, a school in a district other than the one you reside in, or a different school in your own district other than your feeder school.   In order to take advantage of school choice you must submit your choice application between the first Monday of November and a closing date that falls on or before the second Wednesday in January.

Perhaps after investigating your options, you decide that your child will attend your “feeder school” in the district where you reside.  Why would you need to register early for kindergarten?  One of the biggest issues for principals is determining how large their kindergarten classes will be.  Knowing as early as possible how many children are registered allows a principal to lobby the district for the teachers needed to keep kindergarten classes small.  It also allows them to hire teachers early ensuring that your child will have a great teacher who has had time to prepare the classroom for their arrival.

Many families find kindergarten registration confusing.  This is why the ELC is offering a Session on “Navigating Kindergarten Registration” on Thursday, October 25^th 4:30 – 5:30 in the ELC Gym as a follow-up to the Readiness Team event.  In this session, we will explain the choice process, what you need for registration and hope to make the puzzle clearer for you so that you can proactively act in the best interest of your child.  This session is open to others in our community as well.  Please feel free to tell your friends about it.  I look forward to seeing you!

Best,

Linda Zankowsky

Interim Director, ELC