Early Entry to Kindergarten

 

As a result of legislation passed by the CT General Assembly, the following changes have been made for Kindergarten eligibility in public schools in the State of CT: 

Effective July 1, 2023, in accordance with CT Substitute House Bill 5003-Public Act 23-208, children entering kindergarten for the 2025/2026 school year must turn 5 on or before September 1, 2025. Children who turn 5 on September 2, 2025 through September 1, 2026, will now enter kindergarten in the 2026-2027 school year. 

Children who do not meet the new entry cutoff date may still be admitted into kindergarten upon submission of: 

1. Written request from the parent or guardian to the classroom teacher;

2. Current report card (WPS) or progress report (School Readiness Provider) from program where child is enrolled and meeting expectations in 4 of the 6 developmental domains, including Social Emotional, Language, Cognition, Math, Literacy, and Physical Development.

3. A letter from the sending school to the Early Childhood Supervisor or School Readiness liaison that states advancement to kindergarten would be developmentally appropriate.

4) Children born on September 1, 2020 or later and are not enrolled in a preschool program are required to be assessed in March 2025 using the approved district standardized measures.

A request for Early Entry to Kindergarten must be made by December 15, 2024, to the Early Childhood Supervisor, Maureen Bergin, Patricia Ferrare, Early Childhood Special Education Supervisor, or School Readiness Liaison, Krista Pisano.

Parent requests for early entry to kindergarten do not guarantee early entry. Only children who have met the above criteria will be granted early entry. 

Parents of children who receive special education services and do not meet the entry cutoff date will meet with the child's planning and placement team (PPT) to determine a developmentally appropriate placement for the child. Children who do not meet the new entry cutoff date may still be admitted into kindergarten upon submission of: 

1. a written request from the parent/guardian to the classroom teacher;

2. a current report card or progress report; 

3. a PPT recommendation based upon assessment and/or classroom data stating the child is developmentally appropriate for kindergarten. 

Click below for the Request for Early Entry to Kindergarten:

*Please complete the form and return the completed form to students' current Pre-K teacher. *

Request Form for Early Entry to Kindergarten (English)  Request Form for Early Entry to Kindergarten (Spanish) 

Request form for Early Entry to Kindergarten (Albanian)   Request form for Early Entry to Kindergarten (Portuguese)