Questions about getting into K

[kozachka]

As some of you already know I am gearing for the move back to the States. I have given notice at work yesterday so now we have to go :loveeyes:, I am scared (of not being able to get a job) and excited at the same time.

Anyway, I am trying to plan the timeline for this summer so that I could book airplane tickets etc. and I realized I have no idea whether I would need DS with me for the trip where I am going to get the lease signed and submit documents to school. Would they need to interview him or anything like that? MIL has offered to have him stay with her and go to a preschool while we are looking for a place to live, get our furniture out of storage and otherwise settle down.

I am going to be at my current job through the first week of July. We are thinking of flying into the States in the middle of July to get a lease and to enroll DS into school (I know we will be waaaay late but I don't see an alternative). We'll move in mid-August or at the latest possible for DS to start school on September 1st. Does this sound about right?

[hellokitty]

Well, I am not sure how other schools work, but here is how it works in our district. The school has K registration. That is when parents (kids don't need to be there) turn in documents:

Birth cert
Vax record
Utility bill to verify your residency in that district
Social security #
Proof of parental guardianship (if you and your DH are divorced)

My DH went there with all the documents, had to fill out some more paperwork, including who to call for emergencies, doctor and dentist #'s. Then they also scheduled his K eval, which is in August. Gave us info on registering for safety town, and then there is some sort of, "what to expect in K" mtg for parents in May. Then I think there is some sort of open house a few days before the school yr starts. I would call whatever school district you think you will end up at, and ask them what you need to do/have with you when it is time to register. They will also let you know fees. We are doing 1/2 day so it's free. However, for those who want to enter the lottery for full day K, tuition is stated as X per month and there is also a material fee for 1/2 day and full day K are different, but they tell you when it's due.

[o_mom]

For public schools here (no idea about where you are), there is no interview or anything. You show up, fill out forms and they are in. If it is before school starts, then they just start like normal. During the school year they can typically start as soon as you have all the forms in. We needed proof of residency(deed or lease/utility bill), birth certificate and vaccine record/exemption.

[egoldber]

You will need to look at the specific school website or better yet call a school secretary and have them explain exactly what you need to do.

At our school before K entry (or any school entry if you are coming from elsewhere) they do a reading assessment, preferably before school starts. But your child does not need to be present when you do the actual enrollment.

It is also common for many schools to have a K orientation (our is the spring before K, they are going on now in my district) and a school open house in the fall right before school starts. At our school, the open house is when they actually get to meet their teachers and see their classroom.

[kozachka]

Thank you for your help, ladies. I now know what to do next :). It sounds that chances are DS won't need to be present when I enroll him.

[mom2binsd]

Is the school year round?? Registration is most likely taking place now or very soon for traditional schools and year round but year round he might not start right away or he could start as early as July.

I'd think it would be helpful to DS if you could bring him to the school so he has a picture in his mind. Our school and one's I've worked in all do a spring (mid May) K orientation where the parents attend a meeting and the kids go to the classrooms with all the K teachers. Obviously he won't get to attend that but it's very helpful to kids to have an idea where/what they're going so it's less of a mystery/scary/etc.

[graciebellesmomma]

We moved back from Maui to Lake Tahoe last summer. We moved back in August.
I did call to find out what I needed to do and it seemed like no big deal. She would
go to the school that was right across from our house, regardless of whether there
was room or not. It was our school for the home we own.

We came back in August and did not like that there were 32 kids in the Kindy class,
with one teacher and only went from 9-11:30 am. So we found a private school
and enrolled her that week. Three weeks before she started school. We are so
happy with our choice. Her Kindy class is 15 kids with a teacher and an aide 4 days
a week AND it's from 8:15-3:15.

I think you could make a couple of phone calls and get some answers.
Good luck!

[kozachka]

It's nice to hear that others have moved and enrolled their kids into school with no problems.

Obviously, it would have been better if DS could visit the school that he'd be attending in fall. Unfortunately, that also would be much more inconvenient and potentially costly. It's not easy to deal with a child recovering from 10 hours jet leg let alone run around trying to get the lease going, organize school, meet with headhunters. Plus DS would have a great time with grandma, he looks forward to visiting her this summer.

[o_mom]

I think you will be fine. You won't be able to enroll at all until you have a lease and while they have enrollment days now, you can enroll any time. We enrolled in March, but we are here already. I know someone that moved in last summer and enrolled a few weeks before school started, without the kids there and was still able to have them tested and qualifed for the gifted program (older grades, so not a concern for you most likely). Ours does orientation and open house stuff in the week before school starts so that it is fresh in their minds. If you are pretty sure you are using public school, then there really isn't much else to do right now.

[nupe]

I see that the registration process varies quite a bit. DS is starting public KG this fall, and registration was last month. I followed the instructions on their website and downloaded forms from the website (how convenient) but found when I got to registration that the instructions were incomplete and in some cases incorrect (ie outdated). I was very surprised to get to registration and find that I had more forms to complete, needed more paperwork (water bill is not a utility bill according to the school, it must be gas or electric, etc), which was annoying bc I had to take care of DS2 while I tried to fill out forms. DS was not required to be there. There is KG testing in May. And a deposit to pay (not sure if the deposit is for fullday or for everyone). So I would suggest that before you go in to register call ahead or email ahead if you don't want to make 2 trips.

[bubbaray]

Yeah, I would call the district that is your first choice and find out what they require. Its possible you could get on a waitlist with all documents other than lease/purchase papers. So, all you'd have to do come August is show those and you're in. I wonder if you could fax your documents?? At least to get on a waitlist???

Anyway, I would call and ask.

[egoldber]

My school will not allow you to do any type of enrollment without a lease/deed. And in our district, the neighborhood school has to take you. So while it is nice to enroll early, there is no advantage.

But we don't have the plethora of choice options available at other districts.

[spunkybaby]

I agree that it's best to narrow down where you want to live and where you want your DS to go to K and then call the school district or visit the school district's website to find out what you need to do for registration. In my Bay Area school district (East Bay), you need a lease/real estate contract + utility bills and if you register after June, there is no guarantee that your child will be able to attend the neighborhood school in September because it may be full.

Sorry that the process is difficult, and good luck with your search for a new job & house.

[rlu]

Here's what we needed for public school in CA. Not sure if all of these are district or state requirements.

Birth verification (birth certificate or passport)
proof of immunization
proof of tuberculin skin test
proof of residency (rental agreement or utility bill, we used PG&E bill)
proof of oral health exam (not due until mid school year)
multiple registration forms (registration, emergency contact, etc.)

There are meetings for the parents this spring and a meeting for the kids to preview their classroom in the summer/fall. I believe there is some testing to be done in the summer/fall. In our district K is fullday and there is no charge for that. There is a COP (cost of participation) for the public charter school we're wait-listed for, but I don't think there's a fee for our attendance school.

Our district-run after-school care fills up quick, if you need that, you might ask about that when you do registration.

[kransden]

Really it depends on the state you are going to. AZ lets you enroll anywhere. MO, like most states, gives you no choice.

[kozachka]

Thank you for all the information, ladies. I did check school district site in the area we have previously lived and where we consider moving back to but was still left with a lot of questions, which is why I posted here.

That school district requires

1. Verification of age - we have both birth certificate and passport for DS, so it's not an issue;

2. Proof of residency - 2 different documents

3. Verification of immunizations/check-ups (State Law)

I am trying to figure out how to minimize our expenses while getting proof of residency. Currently, we can provide property tax statement for the house we own. We are thinking of keeping the house rented to our good-paying tenant while I am looking for a job as it's cheaper for us to rent and chances are I will find a job in another city. It's much easier to give up the lease than to find a good tenant. So once we sign a lease for the rental property we'd have that as a proof of residency but we also need a utility bill (landline telephone, water or gas and electric). So guess we'd have to move into the rental early just to get a utility bill :irked:. Need to figure out how long that would take :o. DH thinks couple weeks.

In addition we'd have to get medical and oral examinations done, which makes me wonder what to do about health insurance. I remeber how much we were paying for individual Blue Cross policy and it makes me want to :barf:. We'd definitely need DS in town for all the medical stuff but I hope it can be taken care in couple of days as long as you have appointments set up.

Kindergarten visitation was in March. There was no mentioning of interviews or orientation on the website.

I will be making lots of calls to schools this next week :boogie:.

[spunkybaby]

In addition we'd have to get medical and oral examinations done, which makes me wonder what to do about health insurance. I remeber how much we were paying for individual Blue Cross policy and it makes me want to :barf:. We'd definitely need DS in town for all the medical stuff but I hope it can be taken care in couple of days as long as you have appointments set up.

You can definitely take your time on the oral examination. The form I have says that according to CA law, your child must have an oral health assessment by May 31 in K or 1st grade, whichever is his/her first year of public school. So you have until May 31, 2010 to turn in the oral health data collection form.

[spunkybaby]

I am trying to figure out how to minimize our expenses while getting proof of residency. Currently, we can provide property tax statement for the house we own. We are thinking of keeping the house rented to our good-paying tenant while I am looking for a job as it's cheaper for us to rent and chances are I will find a job in another city. It's much easier to give up the lease than to find a good tenant. So once we sign a lease for the rental property we'd have that as a proof of residency but we also need a utility bill (landline telephone, water or gas and electric). So guess we'd have to move into the rental early just to get a utility bill :irked:. Need to figure out how long that would take :o. DH thinks couple weeks.

Just as an FYI: our school district specifically says lists the property tax statement as one of the "unacceptable proofs of residency."