Dunbar School kindergarten registration
Dunbar Elementary School in Glen Ellen will host two kindergarten registration and information nights on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and Wednesday, Feb. 15, 4-6 p.m. Site staff will be available to enroll kindergarteners and answer questions about the new age requirements or other questions families may have.
The Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) Board of Trustees has recently approved a new Board Policy regarding Transitional Kindergarten. The California state legislature passed a law called, “The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010,” which moves the date by which a child must reach 5 years of age to enroll in kindergarten.
Under the old rules, a child had to be 5 years of age on or before Dec. 2 in order to enroll in kindergarten. Under the new rules, schools will be given three years to “phase in” the new age requirement. In Sonoma Valley the new kindergarten age requirement will look like this:
For 2012-13: birth date on or before Nov. 1.
For 2013-14: birth date on or before Oct. 1.
For 2014-15 (and afterward): birth date on or before Sept. 1.
The “Kindergarten Readiness Act” calls for a “transitional kindergarten” program for students whose birth date falls between the old and the new cut-off dates. Given the current educational budget crisis in California, the governor’s office may suspend the requirement to provide a transitional kindergarten program. School district officials are waiting to hear updated budget information before deciding on a transition program for the District. SVUSD officials said a program will be in place for the fall if funded by the state.
For more information, call Dunbar School at 935-6070, or the SVUSD office at 935-6000.
