Eligibility requirements for students entering kindergarten will be different for the 2017-18 school year, allowing students to enter at a slightly older age, per a new change in state regulations.
According to the state Dept. of Education: “Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, the entry date changes from Oct. 1 to Aug. 1. A child who is 6 years old or who turns 6 by Aug. 1, must attend public school. A child who is 5 years old or who will turn 5 by Aug. 1 will be able to enroll in primary school.”
Adair County Director of Pupil Personnel Robbie Harmon believes the change will affect more than a few Adair County children. “I think it’s going to impact several kids, but right now we don’t know how many,” Harmon says. “Anybody with a birthday between Aug. 1 and Oct. 1 could be affected.”
Parents can choose to send their child to school when he or she is 5 but are required to enroll by age 6. “The compulsory age to start kindergarten is 6, but parents can send kids when they’re 5,” Harmon explains. “Both of those age cutoffs have been moved two months earlier. So if they’re 5 and their maturity level is where it needs to be, we encourage parents to them.”
Parents wishing to register their child for kindergarten next year may do so at Adair County Primary Center during its designated registration days next semester, scheduled for May 5 and May 12, 2017, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Required documents include a birth certificate, social security card, Kentucky Valid Immunization certificate, Kentucky School Medical Exam, eye exam, and dental screening.
For more information, contact ACPC at (270) 384 3367.
By Wes Feese
Media Relations, Adair County Schools
