HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Thirteen cities and counties in Central Virginia all agreed that April 20 is the day to register children for the first day of kindergarten.
Kendall Dunaway and her son, Caleb, were first in line for registration at Ridge Elementary on Three Chopt Road Thursday morning.
"I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed," Dunaway said with a nervous chuckle. "I can’t believe that he’s going to kindergarten. I can’t believe he’s so old."
Caleb turned five years old by the September 30 deadline in which new students are allowed to begin kindergarten.
Kendall Dunaway filled out registration forms with her son, Caleb, in the gymnasium of Ridge Elementary.
"I'm not quite ready for this, but he’s getting older." Dunaway explained. "He’s ready for school."
Smart Beginnings of Greater Richmond estimated that 4,000 of the 12,000 incoming kindergartners were not registered in April last year. The goal of the common day is for schools to be prepared well ahead of the first day of classes.
"We want to be completely prepared. We want to make sure we have the correct staffing for the students so that they enter the school year with the kindergarten teacher, that they'll have materials, the classroom set up. We want their name tags on their desks and ready to go on the first day of school," Ridge Elementary Principal Anna Hatfield said.
Parents need to bring: the child’s official, certified birth certificate, two proofs of address, the School Entrance Health Form, and the parent or legal guardian's photo ID.
Kindergarten registration in Central Virginia is scheduled for April 20.
The schools encouraged parents to still show up on April 20 even though they may not have all of the necessary documents. Registration is at the local elementary that your child will attend.
To find out what attendance zone you are in, you can call “211” or click here to see links to all the school districts in the area and the times for registration.
