PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The number of children going to kindergarten in the School District of Philadelphia dropped because of the COVID-19 pandemic but it’s starting to bounce back.
Before the pandemic, there were about 10,000 kindergarten students in the district. That number dropped to 7,100 in fall 2020 but rebounded to 8,300 in 2021.
Diane Castelbuono, the district’s Deputy Chief for early learning says kindergarten enrollment rose in 2022.
“This year, we’re a little over 9,000 students,” Castelbuono said. “And so we’re really seeing that enrollment is coming back.”
Kindergarten is not mandatory in Pennsylvania but, at a news conference Thursday at Potter-Thomas Elementary School in Fairhill, Superintendent Tony Watlington said it helps students develop social abilities and sets them up for success.
"Children who participate in kindergarten develop better academic skills, better emotional and behavioral skills," Watlington said.
Jasmine DeJesus said kindergarten has given her daughter Mia a head start on academics.
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“She’s doing problem-solving, she’s getting emotional skills, social skills, she can already identify sight words, count to high numbers.”
Watlington says the district would like parents to register their children who will be five years old on Sept. 1 by May 31 to help deploy staff for the start of the next school year.
Parents or guardians can register their kids here.