Kindergarten Entrance Age Changes Fall 2024
The Connecticut General Assembly voted to change the entrance age requirement for kindergarten beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. Next year students will have to turn five on or before September 1, 2024 in order to enroll in Kindergarten. The change in the law, which moves the cutoff date from January 1 to September 1, aims to ensure all children are developmentally ready to enter kindergarten and brings Connecticut's entrance age requirement in line with the majority of other states. While we support the change in principle, we understand this could have a negative impact on families who were planning to enroll their four-year-old student(s) in Kindergarten in the fall of 2024. The following information reviews the law and details an appeal process for families who might be negatively impacted by this change.
New Kindergarten Entrance Age Law:
“Current law requires children to be at least five years old on or before January 1 of the school year in order to enroll in kindergarten in the public schools. Beginning July 1, 2024, Section 3 of Public Act 23-159, as amended by Section 1 of Public Act 23-208, amends Connecticut General Statutes § 10-15c to require that children turn five years old on or before September 1 of the school year in order to enroll in kindergarten. The new law also revises the process by which a child who does not meet the law’s age requirements can be admitted to kindergarten. Effective July 1, 2024, a child who is not five years old on or before September 1 of the school year may be admitted (1) upon written request by the child’s parent or guardian to the school principal and (2) after the principal and an appropriate certified staff member conduct an assessment of the child to ensure that admitting the child to kindergarten is developmentally appropriate.”
Madison Public Schools District Response:
For those students who will not turn five until after September 1, 2024, Madison Public Schools will have an appeal process in place for families who wish to have their child enter Kindergarten for the 2024/25 school year. We expect the appeal process to open in January 2024. The process will include a written appeal, an assessment of the student by school staff, and a discussion with the family.
Families are encouraged to file an appeal if they intend to send their child to Kindergarten for the 2024/25 school year and their child falls within the window of turning five AFTER September 1 and BEFORE December 30th of 2024.
Information regarding the appeal process and assessment dates will be shared with the community in December 2023. We will communicate directly with preschools, day care centers and other community resources to reach families. The District will make every effort to notify families promptly of a decision to allow families time to plan for the education or care of their children for the 2024/25 school year. We hope you find this information helpful in planning for your child’s enrollment in Madison Public Schools. Questions can be sent to roos.zoe@madisonps.org