Schooling system in the US

[sehwag]

Can somebody explainhow the schooling system works here in the US? My son 4 years old and I'm getting ready to enroll him soon. I would like to understand the process and be prepared for what is required from me in terms of how this process works.

Appreciate the responses.

[fuzzywuzzy]

If your child is 4 years old now, it is probably time to enroll him in preschool or some type of playschool that has a bit of academic focus, in preparation for kindergarten.

Depending on which month of the year your son was born, you will need to prepare him for kindergarten admission in your local school district. Check out the cut-off dates for your state of residence at users.stargate.net/~cokids/kindergarten_cut-off_dates.htm. There are various cut-dates for different states. If your child's birthday is on or before this date on the year that he will turn 5 years old, he will qualify to be admitted into kindergarten. Some of the private schools are a bit more relaxed on this rule and may be able to admit if the child passes certain qualifying criteria.

Admissions for the school year starting in Fall (late August or early September) usually happens in February/March of that year. So, stay tuned with your local school to find out about the admission procedure and to obtain the forms and admission packet. Getting admission is relatively easy. You just need to submit the filled-in forms along with the copy of the child's birth certificate (and immunzation records if available) and you will be all set.

Kindergarten is usually a half-day programme in many states - either morning or afternoon. A few states also offer full-day kindergarten programs. Check with your local school district on what type of program they offer. If they do offer full-day kindergarten and if your spouse also works, you may also want to check out the after-school programs within the school that will care for your child beyond the regular school day until the parents are able to pick the child up.

However, in my opinion, for a child going to Kindergarten, an extended day beyond a full-day is a bit of an overkill.

My 2 cents.

[whitecloud]

Thanks, FuzzyWuzzy! This is really good info!
Do the kids have any pre-screening before such enrollment or is it purely just age based? The moment they are 5 and below the cut-off date, they are admitted to kindergarten?

[paneersoda]

Apr 4, 2011 8:54:32 GMT -5 whitecloud said:

Thanks, FuzzyWuzzy! This is really good info!
Do the kids have any pre-screening before such enrollment or is it purely just age based? The moment they are 5 and below the cut-off date, they are admitted to kindergarten?

WC,

This is US you are talking about not India. There can't be any pre-screening. I think they just have to be Potty trained. My kid went to Pre-School when he was 3 (August born and cut off was October). There was no pre-screening. They way it goes in certain districts of New Jersey is this

Pre-School -- 3 and above.
Pre-K -- 4 and above.
Kindergarten -- 5 and above.

The first 2 can be skipped. A friend of mine admitted his daughter in Queens, NY directly in KinderGarten.

[tara]

I agree with paneerdosa. There wouldn't be any pre screening for Prek. But for kindegarten/1st grade in public school, I think there may be a pre screening but trust me what they ask/screen is very basic. More towards understanding if kid has ADHD, Dyslexia or need special education. As far as academic skills, very basic things are screened.

My kid did a private kindergarten since the county we live here only had half day kindergarten and we needed to pick up the kid and drop her at after care at a different location which was not doable for us given both parents work. So, we decided to do kindergarten provided at day care facility.
When she started 1st garde at public school, the school has contacted daycare service provider and asked for the progress report/ completion certification of Kindergarten.