PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — September may seem like a long way off, but the School District of Philadelphia says it's not too early to register children for kindergarten next fall.
The district launched the annual kindergarten registration campaign it calls "Thrive at Five."
"We are really hoping to reach families who have a child at home who turns five on or before September 1," said Diane Castelbuono, the district's deputy chief of early childhood education. "We want them to register for kindergarten and to register early."
Parents can register their children online or at their neighborhood schools. Castelbuono said, "They should bring proof of residency, which can be a lease or a utility bill, the child's immunization records and proof of the child's birth date."
Kindergarten enrollment dipped by about one-third during the last two years because of COVID-19.
"Kindergarten enrollment took a hit nationally, and Philadelphia was no exception to that," Castelbuono told KYW Newsradio. "Many families for a variety of reasons chose to keep their children at home. But I will say that enrollment has bounced back."
Enrollment is expected to be back to 90% of normal, which is about 10,000 students, she said.
Kindergarten is not mandatory in Pennsylvania. But five-year-old Luke Julien would tell you, it's immeasurably important.
"Literacy, reading — all kids of like, and even science kind of stuff like that," Luke said at a school district news conference Thursday at Kirkbride Elementary School at 7th and Dickinson streets. "I know a lot about it and some I don't know so I learn — so it's fun for me," he said.
Luke's mother, Rebecca Julien, is also the principal at Kirkbride.
"It's in kindergarten that our students learn early literacy skills, math skills that will set them up for success in the upper grades," Julien said. "They also learn from their classmates at an early age. So it's helpful to enroll children at five years old so they can get the diverse exposure early on."
"Don't be shy, and you have to be, like, very nice to people," Luke said.
The district is holding registration "open houses" online and at schools on March 1, and from May 9-12.
A wrapped school district van is also making the rounds of the city, with a QR code that will link parents to the registration site.
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