Wayland's Full-Day Kindergarten Already Popular for 2011-2012

With snow still on the ground and snow days for the 2010-2011 school year still to make up, it’s tough to believe that registration the next school year is already underway.

But underway it is, and parents of soon-to-be-kindergarten students have jumped into the process headfirst.

As of Wednesday morning, 68 people had already completed the online kindergarten registration form. Of those 68, about 45 indicated their desire to enroll their child in Wayland’s full-day kindergarten program, and the enthusiasm of the parents for that pilot program is welcome news to Assistant Superintendent Brad Crozier.

“Parents have definitely told us that they have enjoyed the full-day program,” Crozier said. “And other parents have thanked us because we’re continuing to give them options when it comes to educating their kids. We’re excited that it gives parents a lot of choice when it comes to their child’s education.”

The current school year is the first of a two-year pilot of the full-day kindergarten program. Crozier said the response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and he’s encouraged that so many parents are expressing interest in it for next year.

“That shows that a lot of parents are committing to a five-day, full-time experience with a trained teacher,” Crozier said. “I’d be happy if we had four sections [next year].”

Currently, there are two sections of full-day kindergarten, both operating out of the Loker School, but with the target class size being 20 pupils and more than 45 already wanting to take part, expansion appears imminent.

“Given the response we’ve had for the first year, and the new incoming parents’ excitement around it, we wanted to make sure that if there was interest in it, we could expand it,” Crozier said. “We always planned to have two sections, but given the demand we heard [throughout this school year], the School Committee gave us permission to expand it.”

The full-day kindergarten program is currently fee-based. Because of conservative budgeting for the program’s first year, families with children enrolled for the 2010-2011 school year will actually , which Crozier estimates will be in the $500 per child range.

Tuition for next year, set at $4,450 per child, has been reduced to reflect the adjusted budget.

“At the end of the two-year pilot, the community and School Committee will decide whether to offer it as a fee-based program or offer it universally for all students,” Crozier said, adding that the pilot period is an opportunity for Wayland to generate data as to the effectiveness and impact of the program.

For now, the full-day kindergarten program remains fee-based and enrollment is ultimately determined by a lottery. Once registration closes, all the names of potential full-day kindergarten students will be pulled and classes of 20 students will be determined through a lottery.

Crozier said that class sections will be added to meet demand. For example, if 60 names are on the list, a third section of full-day kindergarten will be opened and staffed by one of the district’s current kindergarten teachers who has expressed an interest in teaching in the full-day program.

Students who are not selected in the lottery for a class of 20 students will be placed on a waiting list, though Crozier said if class sizes need to be expanded by one or two students in order to accommodate a few extra students, that will likely be done.

Crozier said that type of minimal class-size expansion took place this year and the classes have “worked very well.”

For the first time, kindergarten registration is being completed primarily online from the School District’s main webpage.

While the initial form and request for full-day kindergarten can be completed there, parents will still need to deliver paper copies of forms such as their child’s health record and birth certificate to the . A complete list of the records needed for registration is available on the Loker School website.

Crozier said the transition to online registration has been “pretty smooth,” and will help cut down on redundancy in forms as well as mistakes that can occur when information is copied from paper forms into the computer system.

“This gets us more in line with other businesses,” he said.

Important dates:

• March 15, 7:30 p.m. - Information night at the Loker School for parents of incoming kindergartners.
• March 25 – Last day to submit all necessary forms (online registration form, health records, birth certificate, etc.).
• March 28 – Lottery for full-day kindergarten program.
• April 1 – Parents notified regarding full-day kindergarten placement.