Childhood should be a journey . . . not a race.  All children entering kindergarten in the Flagstaff Public Schools must turn five years of age on or before August 31

Based on the District philosophy that a child is more likely to be successful when entering school at a slightly older age, the FUSD Governing Board has set the following criteria:

Children must turn five on or before August 31 to enter kindergarten.

Are there any exceptions to the cut-off date for FUSD kindergarten entrance?

Yes. A child who will turn five in the month of September, may be allowed to enter kindergarten if the parent or guardian attends an informational meeting and the child passes the early entrance screening.

Contact the Educational Enrichment Department at 527-6156 for more information or to sign up for screening.

Click the FAQs link for more information on early entrance.

What options are available for my four-year-old?

Children benefit significantly from preschool experiences. These programs are designed to be developmentally-appropriate for your child and offer the kinds of pre-academic activities and play experiences which will help your child adjust to school.

The Flagstaff community has several quality private preschool programs as well as HeadStart programs for low-income families. FUSD also offers limited pre-school programs. Contact the Family Resource Center at 774-1103 for more infomation.

My child seems quite advanced.  Will she be bored in kindergarten by waiting until next year?

Children will not lose their academic ability or their interest in attending school by waiting another year. There is little evidence to show that children benefit from entering school early.  In fact, some studies indicate possible harm to children by starting school before they are mature enough to be successful. Our teachers are dedicated to working to meet the individual needs of each child. Your child’s kindergarten teacher will provide challenging learning activities to meet her specific strengths and abilities.

What can I do with my child at home to prepare him for a successful school experience?

You will have a tremendous impact on your child’s success in kindergarten if you work
with him at home to:
1)     develop good bathroom skills
2)     develop dressing skills (zipping, buttoning and tying)
3)     learn to pick up toys after play
4)     learn to hold and correctly use a pencil, crayons and scissors
5)     know the ten basic colors
6)     be able to count to 10
7)     be able to recite the ABCs
8)     be able to identify body parts
9)     listen to and follow directions
10)   limit TV watching to spend more time with books and creative activities
11)   use good social skills (sharing, taking turns, accepting responsibility for actions)
12)   learn to accept others who come from different backgrounds

What does the research say?

Today's kindergarten curriculum is much more demanding than ten years ago.  Expectations and requirements built into the kindergarten curriculum are simply too much too soon for many young children. Studies have found that the youngest children in the classroom do not perform as well as their classmates. One study indicated that younger school entrants had more speech referrals, were more anxious or nervous, and had more difficulty with social adjustment. Younger children often do not possess sufficient gross and fine motor skills to be able to adapt to class and playground activities.

Nationally, over the past 30 years, the trend has been to slowly raise the age for entrance into kindergarten.  In 1958, most states required kindergartners to be five years old by December or January 1.  By 1975, the average cutoff date was September or October 1.  Since 1985, many states have gradually moved the cutoff date back even further to July 1.