Did you know that the State of Connecticut recently changed the Age Requirement for Kindergarten Entry?

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, children must be 5 years old on or before September 1 in order to be automatically eligible for kindergarten. This is a change from the current kindergarten age requirement of needing to turn 5 years old on or before of January 1.

Here are the key points:

• Children that entered kindergarten in the 2023-2024 school year must turn 5 on or before January 1, 2024.

• Children that enter kindergarten in the 2024-2025 school year must turn 5 on or before September 1, 2024.

• If a child turns 5 anywhere between September 2, 2024 to September 1, 2025, they will enter kindergarten in the 2025-2026 school year.

This is an enormous change.

As such, Superintendent Vázquez Matos and a core team are discussing and planning for the upcoming year. Their goal is to ensure that children (who would have previously been eligible for automatic entry into kindergarten in the 2024-2025 school year) have access to high-quality educational opportunities in the most equitable manner possible. Click here to learn more about the Transition to Kindergarten Program.

Updates will continue to be shared and a process through which families can apply for waivers (should they feel that their children are developmentally ready for Kindergarten) will be made available as soon as possible.

At the December 12, 2023 Board of Education meeting, information about the new Kindergarten Entry Age law was presented to the Board. The slides from that presentation are accessible here.

Additional general information from the State of Connecticut can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Digest/2023-24/NewAgeForKindergartenEntry.pdf

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Middletown Public Schools hosted a Parent & Community Information and Conversation session about the Kindergarten Entry Age. You can view the recording of this one hour conversation below or on our MiddletownStream, our YouTube channel.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page (CLICK HERE)

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Dawn Dubay, Supervisor of School Readiness, Early Learning and Family and Community Engagement for Middletown Public Schools at: dubayd@mpsct.org