A new Dubuque Community School District event will help give families a jump-start on preparing for kindergarten.

The Kindergarten Kick-Off, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, gives families the chance to drop-in between 3:30-6 p.m. at 12 of Dubuque’s public elementary schools. At the event, families will complete initial kindergarten paperwork, receive a packet of paperwork to take with them, and have a chance to meet school staff. As a charter school, Prescott Elementary School will begin kindergarten sign-up during its enrollment period in late February.

Download the Kindergarten Kick-Off Flyer

Children are welcome at the Kindergarten Kick-Off event, but their attendance is not required. Attending the event will ensure that families receive invites to their school’s kindergarten welcome event in the spring and registration materials this summer.

Parents should bring proof of age (birth certificate) to the event as well as the most-recent immunization record to date. By Iowa Law, all children to be enrolled in kindergarten for the 2016-2017 school year must be age 5 by September 15, 2016.

Families should attend their home school based on their home address. Home schools can be determined by visiting www.dbqschools.org/find-your-school. Even those wishing to apply for open enrollment should attend Kindergarten Kick-Off at their home school.

“We hope this new event is a way to get families an earlier start on kindergarten paperwork and becoming familiar with their home school,” said Nancy Murphy, the district’s early childhood coordinator. “It’s also a great time to start thinking about the student’s transition to kindergarten next year.”

For more information about the Kindergarten Kick-Off, families should contact their home school or visit www.dbqschools.org/kindergarten.

Prescott Elementary School is an expeditionary charter school open to any child who resides in the Dubuque Community School District. The school has limited kindergarten openings each year. The enrollment period for these openings runs during school hours from February 25 through March 3 with additional times on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 1-4 p.m.; as well as Tuesday, March 1, and Wednesday, March 2, from 3:30-7 p.m. at the school.