Kindergarten Registration
The ECCS works closely with Southington parents and the local schools to make the kindergarten registration process as seamless as possible.
Under CT State Law, for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond, children must be age 5 on or before September 1st to attend public school that year. Previously, this cutoff date was January 1st and so children who are turning 5 between September 2 to January 1 will not be able to start public school as expected without an exception.
Unsure when to register your child for preschool or kindergarten? Check out this When to Start chart by birth year. If attending public school then parents also have the option to keep their children at home through age 6.
Southington Public Schools
UPDATE as of 11/6/2024 – Here is the expected registration schedule for the Southington Public School (SPS) district for fall 2025. Exact dates will be shared once they are finalized.
Late January – Summer – If still required by the State Legislature, the Southington Public Schools will host screening sessions for families seeking a waiver for any child who wishes to enter Kindergarten next fall and will NOT be five years of age by September 1. This may change if the legislature changes the law requiring an exception during the spring 2025 legislative session.
- Per state law, students five years of age by September 1, 2025, are automatically eligible and, therefore, do not need a waiver or screener administered.
- The district has only reserved enough slots for 4-year-olds seeking a waiver; please do not sign up if your child meets the eligibility criteria above.
Multiple screening sessions will be scheduled.
March – Southington Public Schools holds an in-person Kindergarten Registration Information Session for all parents/guardians who have children entering kindergarten for the following school year. 2024 Info Session Slides
March – Online registration opens at the Southington Public Schools site for the following fall. The birth certificate, parent ID, residency and other documents needed to complete the registration process will be uploaded. If you have technical issues these can also be brought to the registrar’s office or to the in-person registration appointment.
March/April – In-person registration, which you attend with your child, are held each school. The dates will be announced at the Information Session. Call to make an appointment. The children visited with literacy, math and other staff specialists who did a brief developmental screening. This appointment, which takes about 15 minutes, will complete the registration process.
May – Orientation for your child, which usually includes a bus safety talk and a parent meeting. Each of the eight elementary schools will reach out to parents who have registered with school-specific information.
Late August – A letter is sent home to announce the kindergarten teacher and classroom. Teachers will hold an open house or tour the week before schools starts. The bus schedule is published in the local newspapers and on the SPS website one week prior to the start of classes. Medical forms from a physical in the past year must be submitted by this time.
First day of school – Kindergarten students do have bus transportation. Don’t forget to take the first day of school photo in front of the school sign or at your home.
If you are unsure which school your child will attend, please refer to the SPS Street Directory.
Want to know what skills your child should have before they start kindergarten? Check out the “Kindergarten Ready?” page.
More information about the SPS registration process, handouts from the previous information session, forms and dates is on the Southington Public Schools site.
Questions about the SPS Kindergarten Registration process, including a request for screening to determine if a waiver to the new kindergarten cut-off age, can be directed to the SPS central office at 860-628-3204, Kenneth Seltzer, the District Registrar, at kseltzer@southingtonschools.org.
Parochial Schools
The parochial schools in town – Central Christian Academy and St. Luke Catholic – have their own registration process.
St. Luke Catholic School is accepting applications for their full day kindergarten program for students turning 5 by January 1st of their kindergarten year (they are giving waivers to new September 1st cut-off). Young students can be bused right from their Southington home to the school’s front door at 133 Bristol Street. After school care is available on site for busy, working parents. Parents are invited to come visit and explore the benefits of small class size. For more information, call 860-628-2485.
Central Christian Academy, at 1505 West Street in Southington, can be reached at 860-621-6701.
Extended Preschool Options
A few of the preschool providers also offer programs for children who meet the State age eligibility requirements but are not developmentally ready to attend kindergarten. See their listings under Preschool Options.
Choice and Magnet Schools
The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) coordinates the Open Choice and Magnet School programs. Southington children can attend a Hartford district school through the Open Choice program or apply to the lottery to attend a magnet school with a specialized educational theme. There are over 40 schools in the program across the Hartford region serving Pre-K 3 to grade 12.
The RSCO “on-time” application period runs from November until January/February with placements announced in the spring. “Late” applications are accepted into the summer. Learn more on the RSCO site.
Homeschooling
For some children and families, homeschooling may be a better option. In this case, the child should not register for public school.
