Incoming kindergarteners will need to register soon
More than half of next year's kindergarten class needs to register by Nov. 1 to participate in school choice.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published October 13, 2004
Out there somewhere are thousands of soon-to-be kindergarteners whose parents are running out of time.
With fewer than three weeks left to apply for the 2005-06 school year, more than half of the incoming kindergarteners expected to register are still missing in action. After Nov. 1, the choice application period ends, and parents will be stuck with leftovers, seats in schools that other parents didn't choose.
As of Friday, only 3,368 of the 8,000 children expected to enter kindergarten in August had registered. That number includes about 750 prekindergarten children already registered in district exceptional education programs.
"They don't realize now is the time to register their children for next year," said Mary Dito, who has worked as a customer service representative at the St. Petersburg Family Education and Information Center since it opened in the summer of 2002. "If their baby is going to be 5 before Sept. 1, now is the time."
Incoming kindergarteners are a challenge because the district doesn't know where they are. Their names and addresses are not on file.
It complicates matters that parents of incoming kindergarteners must think a full year ahead. Before choice, they didn't have to register their children until the spring or summer before school started. Many waited until the first day of school to register at their zoned school.
But under choice, incoming kindergarteners must follow the same timetable as older students. That means children as young as 4 must register by the Nov. 1 deadline for the best chance of getting the spots they want. They must choose a school - and hope they get in - or the district will choose one for them. If they don't, they will be placed in a school that still has seats after incoming kindergarteners who applied by the deadline have been placed.
Parents are welcome to take information about schools home with them after they register so they can ponder their choices, Zahn said, but time is growing short. If they are prepared to make selections for attendance area schools when they come to register at a Family Education and Information Center or at one of the satellite centers (please see list above), they can take care of everything in one step.
Ditto, the customer service representative, thinks parents have become savvy since the first application period two years ago. But families with incoming kindergarteners still need to be reminded to plan ahead.
Choice communications director Andrea Zahn said that a big part of her job is educating families about the new deadlines.
"Parents with older children are more accustomed to seeking out information," she said. "Those with their first child entering kindergarten are the ones we need to be really aware of."
About 6,500 of the 8,000 incoming kindergarteners expected to register for school are enrolled in licensed preschools and child care centers or are in the homes of day care providers. Those children are relatively easy to target, Zahn said.
"We have a great rapport with those centers," she said. "We provide the materials and all they have to do is distribute them."
The choice office recently sent a second mailing to about 300 licensed preschools and child care centers and to about 1,000 day care home providers. Included in the packets were bright neon stickers designed to be worn home on the children's clothing.
Parents of children in the county's Head Start programs also received information, and employees of coordinated child care sites found inserts in their paychecks urging them to spread the word about kindergarten registration.
The remaining 1,500 incoming kindergarteners are more difficult to reach, Zahn said. Among the methods her office is using to reach them are announcements on broadcast and cable networks, including WPDS-Ch. 14 and government access channels. Public service announcements are running on four radio stations and elementary principals are being asked to make announcements to parents who may have incoming kindergarteners.
Additionally, a second round of e-mails has been sent to employees who work for government and social service agencies.
"In the past two years, we've been able to capture 70 percent of the incoming kindergarteners during the application period," Zahn said. "We're hoping to do at least that well this year."
WHERE TO REGISTER
Family Education and Information Center at PTEC
3420 Eighth Ave. S, St. Petersburg, 552-1595
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday
Family Education and Information Center at Robinson Challenge
1101 Marshall St., Clearwater, 298-2858
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday
Satellite centers
4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 19 and 26 at Palm Harbor Elementary, 415 15th St.; High Point Elementary, 6400 54th Ave. N, Clearwater; and Blanton Elementary, 6400 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
4 to 8 p.m. today, Oct. 20 and 27 at Eisenhower Elementary, 2800 Drew St., Clearwater; Walsingham Elementary, 9099 Walsingham Road, Largo; and Bay Point Elementary, 5800 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg.
WHAT TO BRING
A certified copy of the child's birth certificate or other proof of birth, including baptismal certificate, insurance policy or passport
Proof of residency such as a utility bill that includes the parent or guardian's name and street address
A recent report card for students entering grades 1-12
For a complete list of documents that can be accepted or for more information, visit www.pinellaschoice.org and click on New Student Registration.
