Kindergarten - Woodland,CA

When he's old enough to enroll in the local schools pre-K program. He needs to be a full 4 years old for this. Then you'll have already been in this school system for a year when it's time for kindergarten.

It depends on whether you're going public or private (to include parochial, charter, etc.).

Public school is the simplest... as the district is required to take you (but all districts have different rules, sometimes you get shipped elsewhere)... however registration dates vary considerably. Some it's the summer before (3 months out), some it's the winter before (9 months out), some it's a full calendar year.

Private schools vary far more. Some have waiting lists that are more than 5 years long. Others have space and can take mid year transfers. Most require applying 12-18mo ahead of the year you intend to go, some don't. Some have extensive application and interview processes, others are fairly streamlined.

Personally... I worked backwards. I looked at the best highschools in our area (Lakeside & Seattle Prep & Roosevelt, for example), and traced my way back to their feeder schools (middle, elementary, all the way to preschools). That gave me a short list to start investigating. I actually ended up homeschooling, BUT we still bought our house with the feeder school conundrum in mind both for the increased resale value (increases our house value by about 100k), and in case we needed to quit homeschooling at some point.

I started when my son was a baby... it was something I learned from my mum watching how she researched schools every time we moved. It doesn't take long to research... and then as long as you touch back every year to make sure the info hasn't changed, then you're good to go.

___

Ah... I SHOULD say that kindergarten varies between ages 4-6. It really depends on your area which age is both the most common AND what's legal. In our area kindergarten classrooms are mostly 6yo's. In others they're mostly 5yo's.

There's no kindergarten in your local school? I'd be shocked if there weren't but if you're looking for something private then the year before entrance is fine.

K. b
mom to 5 including triplets

Are you planning to send him to public school? If so, registration is usually in February/March of the year he will attend (so approx 6 months before school actually starts). If you want private, I have no idea. : )

Kindergarten starts when they turn 5 by a certain month of that school year. Contact your school district and you can find out. In the meantime, kids can start pre-k usually around 3-4.

My kids went to K at age 5.

Kindergarten is very, very academic now. Many parents in CT do not start their 4 yr olds in K. Our cutoff date is still December.

My oldest learned a letter a week in K.
Now, the kids in K are placed in reading groups, do writing centers, etc...

While it is not a gd idea to drill your child in academics at age 3 and 4, I wish more parents knew this info.

Your local school district should have information for you on when you need to enroll your child and what your options are through the public education system. I would be looking at preschools before kindergarten, though, if you want to enroll him somewhere before he's 5.

Depends on the route you are taking......charter, private, parochial or public. Charter and private schools, start now, they are usually lottery or interview. Parochial will take you regardless of situation. public, depending on your area and popularity, may require interview and a wait list. Call your local schools and find out their protocol.

You will need to register if going to public school around March for the following September. Remember that for public school kids have to be 5 years old before December 1st, this year. Next year it will be November 1st, and the following year it will be October 1st, as the new law states that the age requirement will go down 1 month each year. If going to a private school, they vary by school but usually will not take a child earlier than 4 yrs 9 months.

I tend to be always shocked by this type of question. But, I'm beginning to realize that our world is going in such a way as to make it seem more relevant all the time. In your area, I don't think there is a lot of danger that you won't be able to get him into Kindergarten by waiting until the year he is ready to enroll. However, it never hurts to be aware of the schools in your area and know a little about which ones are doing the better job, and which one might best fit your little guy's learning style. If it's at all possible, I would even suggest that you might want to look into doing a little volunteer work in some of the schools. That way, you'd have an 'insider's' look at what the school is like.
Meantime, please relax and enjoy your child at his age now.

start researching schools now so you know what you want in a school. For public schools reg. is usually in Feb. Mar. but check with the school or district office to be certain. Sometimes they put this info in the local paper as well. The earlier you register the better your options are for AM or PM preference for schools who do half day kinder. To clarify the cut off dates below THIS year the cut off date is Nov 2. I know this because my daughter is Nov 8 and they will not let her attend. 2013 will be October 2 and 2014 and beyond will be September 2. If your child does not make the cut off they will be provided the option of attending Transitional Kindergarten (TK) which meets for the same number of hours as regular kinder but it is not available at all schools. My daughter is going to TK this year and will switch schools next year. TK is great it is like preschool but at an elementary school and you don't have to pay tuition. My daughter who really was probably prepared to go to kinder this year has already learned so much in 2 weeks.

Not yet. Given the way things are going, if you find one now, it will be closed by the time he gets there. I wouldn't really worry until he's like 4 and when you find the one you want, be sure to get him registered at the first opportunity so it doesn't fill up on you.

You can start looking now but as far as registering, it depends on the school. Most schools should have websites set up with this type of information. So I would start there. Knowing Woodland somewhat, there shouldn't be too may schools to weed through.