Kindergarten Registration Begins Feb. 2 in LW School District

Is your youngster chomping at the bit to go to kindergarten next fall? Registration is beginning soon in the .

If your child will be 5 years old on or before August 31, register him or her for kindergarten at your neighborhood elementary school, beginning Feb. 2. If you are hoping for all-day kindergarten, enrollment selection for those classes happens Feb. 9, so don't delay.

Following is the information from LWSD on kindergarten enrollment:

Kindergarten registration takes place at your neighborhood elementary school. Registration continues through the beginning of the school year in September, but we encourage you to register as early as possible. For the 2012-2013 school year, kindergarten registration will open on February 2, 2012 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

To register your child, please bring the following items to your neighborhood elementary school:

• Proof of child's birth date such as a birth certificate or passport
• Child's health history, including current immunization
• Emergency contact information
• For those interested in registering for all-day kindergarten, please bring a money order or check as a deposit that will be put toward June tuition

Your elementary school will provide the necessary kindergarten registration forms. They are not available online.

Most schools offer all-day kindergarten programs
Half-day kindergarten is provided for all children in the district. There is a fee for all-day kindergarten. If more than 21 children register for any all-day kindergarten classes, the district holds an enrollment selection drawing. For the 2012-2013 school year, the all-day kindergarten enrollment selection will be held on February 9, 2012 to determine the students in those classes.

Access to full-day kindergarten depends on space available at the specific school. Each elementary school will have at least one full-day kindergarten classroom. Due to increased district enrollment, additional full-day classrooms may not be available at your school.

Some children go to a nearby school for kindergarten only
At times, the district may need to transport kindergarten students from one school to another school due to enrollment levels. If that happens, a lottery is held about a week after kindergarten enrollment starts to determine which students will be affected. Students who enroll after that time may be transported to another school for kindergarten. (They will return to the neighborhood school for first grade and beyond.)

All-day kindergarten costs money
The state of Washington pays for half-day kindergarten: parents of full-day kindergarten students pay the other half day. The district must charge tuition for the all-day program. Tuition for 2011-2012 is $3300. The 2011-2012 tuition for those who qualify for a reduced fee is $1180, while it is $650 for those who qualify for free lunch. Please bring a voided check to registration if you are registering for the all-day program. Arrangements can be made for automatic withdrawal from your bank account.

Much more information is available in a handbook for you! The Kindergarten Handbook for Parents includes more details on all of these areas plus information on the kindergarten child, including physical characteristics and special needs of the five-year-old child. Download this useful document that will help you and your child make the most of the kindergarten year.

Children younger than five may qualify to enter kindergarten early
Some students do not meet the state age guidelines for kindergarten but they may still be highly capable and ready for school. The Kindergarten Early Entrance process uses a formal and informal assessment to determine if your child meets or exceeds specific criteria in the areas of mental ability, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, and emotional/social development. Parents who are interested in this option for their child should follow the instructions for early kindergarten entrance.

Redmond Elementary Schools in the Lake Washington School District: