Inside Schools and Joyce Szuflita, our School Expert, keep us up to date on the DOE deadlines. This one is for kids who are turning 5 this year— Happy Birthday little ones!  Yesterday was the first day to submit a kindergarten application.

More info from Inside Schools is below. To read the whole post by Pamela Wheaton go here.

Families may apply to multiple schools by going directly to the school with proof of address and date of birth, and filling out an application.You don’t need to bring your child.  Kindergarten admissions is a school-based process so the application may vary by school, with some schools using a  kindergarten application template provided by the Department of Education. This round of applications will last until March 12.

According to New York State law, kindergarten is not mandatory (although it is strongly encouraged!) but every child who applies is guaranteed a place. Priority in admissions is given to students who are zoned for the school, and to unzoned students who have a sibling enrolled in the school. For a rundown of admissions’ priorities, see the Department of Education’s page on elementary school admissions.

The kindergarten application period runs from Feb. 1-March 12. Schools will notify parents of acceptances by March 23, according to the DOE. Theoretically students could be accepted at more than one school. Registration at the school will take place from April 12-23.

All students must apply to kindergarten to be ensured a space for Fall 2010, including students with disabilities. However most students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan) who require a special class or a Collaborative Team-Teaching class will be placed by the Committees on Special Education later in the spring after the children have had their kindergarten IEP meeting. Students who get services such as speech or occupational therapy should apply now as should parents of children with disabilities who want to reserve a spot in a general education class for their child. However, registering for a particular school has no impact on whether or not a child will get a spot in that school’s self-contained class or CTT class because placement for those classes go through the CSEs and enrollment offices.

Related Posts:

1. Dive in and learn the hows and whys of public schools (January 6th, 2010)
2. Kindergarten: Where Is The Play? (May 21st, 2009)
3. Kindergarten Admissions (December 29th, 2008)
4. Special Needs Sites (October 22nd, 2008)
5. New York Resources (October 22nd, 2008)