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Kindergarten Entry Age Change
West Hartford Public Schools
Connecticut Kindergarten entry age changes for the 2024-2025 school year
All Connecticut districts have a new age requirement for the incoming Kindergarten class. Effective in the fall of 2024, children need to turn five on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible to enroll in public school Kindergarten. This is a change from the previous Kindergarten enrollment birthdate cutoff of January 1.
The legislation also allows a school district to admit a child who has not turned five by September 1 of the school year if (1) the parent makes a request in writing and (2) the school district conducts an assessment of the child to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate. See Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section below for further details on this request and assessment process.
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) have issued a joint memo on this recently enacted change by the Connecticut General Assembly. The joint memo is available in English here and in Spanish here.
Thank you for sharing this information with your friends and neighbors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why did the State of Connecticut make this change?
CT is one of the last states in the U.S. to make a change to a September 1st birthdate for Kindergarten entry. National longitudinal studies and our review of local longitudinal assessment data indicate that students who begin Kindergarten at 5 years old in September have statistically stronger performance than students who enter Kindergarten early. A review of West Hartford third grade literacy and mathematics data demonstrate the same findings (see graphs below). On average, 7-year old "ber babies" (early Kindergarten students born in September, October, November and December) underperform by 12 points in literacy and 14 points in mathematics compared to their grade level peers. When comparing to students with birthdays in the same months who wait until age five to attend Kindergarten, these differences increase by 4 points to 16 and 18 point gaps respectively.
What if my child will be age 5 on or before September 1, 2024?
If your child is age eligible (turning 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024), you may begin registration on January 15, 2024 by going to www.whps.org/residency.
For more information on the Kindergarten Transition process, please see the slide deck from our January 8th Welcome to Kindergarten presentation.
My child will not be age 5 by September 1, 2024 but will be age 5 by January 1, 2025. What can I do?
If you have a child born between September 2, 2019 and January 1, 2020 and do not wish to request early Kindergarten enrollment for Fall 2024, no action is needed. Registration for Fall 2025 Kindergarten entry will take place in January 2025.
If you have a child born between September 2, 2019 and January 1, 2020 and would like your child to be considered for early Kindergarten enrollment in Fall 2024, please note the following steps parents/guardians must complete:
- The deadline for written requests to be considered for early entry to kindergarten was February 1, 2024. If you moved to West Hartford after February 1, 2024 and would like to access the early entry assessment process, please request early entry via this link or call Rosana Walshaw at 860-561-6658 for more information. We will host additional early entry assessment sessions in late April.
- All parents/guardians who submit the Request for Early Kindergarten Entrance Form will be asked to complete a Parent Questionnaire and have their child's Pre-K or Childcare Provider complete a Teacher Questionnaire (as applicable). All questionnaires must be returned on or before your child's scheduled assessment visit. Questionnaires must be received by April 30 for Fall 2024 enrollment consideration.
- As a provision of the new state law, an in-person assessment is required for all students requesting early entrance to kindergarten. These will be available by appointment on April 24, 2024. The child will need to meet or exceed Kindergarten readiness benchmarks in numeracy, literacy, social, and language skills to be granted early admittance to Kindergarten.
- Parents of children who engaged in the April early entry assessment process will be notified of the district early entrance decision on or before May 3, 2024. Students will not be screened more than once.
Parents/guardians of children born after September 1, 2019 should NOT initiate registration for Kindergarten until they have received a final decision from the Principal/School District.
What if my child is currently enrolled in a West Hartford Pre-K program and is not age eligible for Kindergarten?
We anticipate that students born between September 2, 2019 and January 1, 2020 who currently attend our West Hartford Public Schools Pre-K program at Charter Oak, Smith, and Webster Hill School or the ELC program at Whiting Lane and Aiken, will continue in a district Pre-K program. Details on those programs and locations will be determined and communicated with families by Winter 2024.
Our Early Learning Center (ELC) Program at Aiken and Whiting Lane will continue to provide services to all children who have individualized education plans (IEPs) from age 3 until Kindergarten entry date in accordance with CT Kindergarten entry age criteria.
Will there be more Pre-K slots available in the West Hartford lottery?
No, we do not anticipate having the appropriate space available in our schools to expand our current full-day Pre-K offerings at Charter Oak, Smith and Webster Hill Schools.
Resources
Questions about the CT Kindergarten entry age legislation? Contact Kerry Jones, Director of Elementary Education, at kerry_jones@whps.org.
Questions about the West Hartford Public Schools Kindergarten registration process? Contact Irene Garneau, Department Supervisor for Early Childhood Education, at irene_garneau@whps.org.