Kindergarten Application Process
OVERVIEW & TIMELINE

Let’s start with an overview of the whole kindergarten application process and when stuff happens. Simple things that I didn’t always understand! For instance, I was thrown to find out little things like, at many schools, you cannot get the actual application if you do not come to one of the school’s tours.

Most private school kindergarten application processes consist of the following components:

• School Tours
• Application Form (General Information)
• Application Essay Questions
• Letters of Recommendation
• Interviews/Assessments of Kids
• Interviews of Parents
• Financial Aid Applications

Sample Timeline

1. BY LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL. Start having some idea of which schools in which you are interested in checking out further. If you think it may be useful, check for a local schools fair. In our area, there are usually a couple of fairs at different locations in early October.
2. OCTOBER THROUGH NOVEMBER. Open houses/information nights.
3. OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER. Schedule and go on school tours. As mentioned, for many schools, the tours are the only place to get applications; and they are often only on weekdays. For parents who work outside the home, this can be a scheduling nightmare.
4. AT LEAST BY NOVEMBERISH. Decide on schools. Request any required letters of recommendations (which in many cases must be sent directly to the schools you specify). One of the books we read suggested asking at least one month before they are due to the schools.
5. DECEMBER THROUGH JANUARY. Deadlines for written applications (and application fees) often fall in this timeline. For our schools, the earliest was due December 12 and the latest on about January 15 (with most due in that mid-January timeframe). Though we did not know this when we were applying, we’ve since read a tip that it may help you to apply on the early side (and also read suggestions that this is just a myth).
6. JANUARY. Deadlines for financial aid applications often fall in this timeframe. For our schools, the dates were clustered around January 15-16.
7. JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY. Child assessments, screenings, interviews, or whatever name given by the schools. We found a very useful tip: don’t pick the last date for the assessment. That way, if your child gets sick or is for whatever reason having a bad day on the day of the assessment, you have a decent shot at calling the school and rescheduling.
8. MARCH. Admissions decisions mailed.
9. MARCH. For our area, you typically had just a week to decide, after which a signed contract and a deposit was due.
10. March and going forward. Navigate any wait lists. From what we were told, there tends to some movement off the wait lists at two times. The first is right in that week during which families get their admissions decisions and have to respond to schools. The second is around June, at which time many schools require a further and greater deposit on the coming year’s tuition and fees
11. SUMMER. By this time or soon within it, the kindergarten application process is hopefully over for you! Consider ways to help your child transition to kindergarten. There may be some organized activities, such as events at the schools or matched buddies. If your child is in preschool and that is how you handle day care, find out whether there is any gap you may have to cover between preschool “graduation” and the start of kindergarten!

Other Resources