Ascension schools announce registration dates for kindergarten, opens online pre-k applications

Prekindergarten and kindergarten registration dates for Ascension Parish public schools have been set.

Kindergarten registration will begin on Monday, March 27, at school sites, and online applications for prekindergarten programs are now being accepted.

Pre-K applications will be taken through May 15. Visit ascensionearlychildhood.org/admissions. Students applying for pre-K must be 4 years old by Sept. 30 and those applying for Head Start must be 3 years old by Sept. 30.

Families looking to register in Ascension’s publicly-funded early childhood programs including Head Start, public school pre-K and community-based Type 3 Early Learning Centers must apply online and upload all required documents in order to be considered for eligibility. Parents may also apply for publicly-funded birth to age 4 seats located in community-based centers through the same application portal, a news release said.

Early Childhood seats are publicly funded and are dependent upon available federal and state funding, which limits open availability in each program. The completion of an application does not guarantee placement.

Kindergarten registration will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday, March 27, through Friday, March 31 at the following sites

March 27:

• Galvez Primary
• Lakeside Primary
• Lake Elementary

March 28:

• G.W. Carver Primary
• Gonzales Primary
• Pecan Grove Primary

March 29:

• Donaldsonville Primary
• Sorrento Primary
• St. Amant Primary

March 30:

• Prairieville Primary
• Oak Grove Primary
• Bluff Ridge Primary
• Spanish Lake Primary
• Bullion Primary

March 31:

• Central Primary
• Duplessis Primary
• Dutchtown Primary
• Sugar Mill Primary

Children entering kindergarten should be 5 years old by Sept. 30. Parents or guardians must present the following documents to the school for enrollment:

• Child’s birth certificate
• Up-to-date immunization/shot records (signed and dated by the doctor) and
• Proof of residence (ex: gas or electric bill showing service address)

Louisiana law requires that before a child enters first grade in a public school, they must attend a full-day kindergarten program (or pass an academic readiness screening). The law requires the following:

• Must be a full-day program,
• Must attend for a full school year,
• Can be a public or nonpublic kindergarten, and
• Must have passed a readiness screening administered by a public school.

Five-year-olds are mandated to attend kindergarten. A parent can defer kindergarten for one year if the child has not had their fifth birthday before the first day of school, or the child is enrolled in a pre-K program.

For more information about the Ascension Early Childhood Ready Start Network and eligibility process, visit ascensionearlychildhood.org. For more information about kindergarten registration and Ascension public schools, visit ascensionschools.org.