Elementary school reviews
News and views
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Special needs children need not apply
Written by Meredith Kolodner on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 15:59"Special needs children need not apply." There was no sign hanging on the main office at PS 289 in Bedford-Stuyvesant last week, but there may as well have been. Essence Louis says she was told Friday that she couldn't register her son Michael for kindergarten because next year the school won't have the kind of class he needs. "I'm already dealing with a special needs child," said the distraught mom of two. "I love this… Read more -
Elementary Dad: Helping kids prevent abuse
Written by Skip Card on Friday, 17 February 2012 14:39I attended two presentations last week at my daughter’s Upper West Side elementary school. The first featured the chancellor in charge of New York City schools, who was on hand to absorb parents’ rage after a paraprofessional at the school was arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct with a young boy. Talking to an overflow crowd, Chancellor Dennis Walcott said what you’d expect him to say: The safety of children is his top priority, and… Read more -
Poll: Change kindergarten cutoff age?
Written by Anna Schneider on Thursday, 16 February 2012 16:56Kindergarten applications are due March 2, and any child born in 2007 may enroll in public school kindergarten. That means that some kids will still be only four years old when school starts. That cut-off date differs from many private schools and some city charter schools which expect children to turn five by Sept. 1, before the school year begins. In the last two decades, the practice of "redshirting" has become more common. (Redshirting is a term borrowed… -
Poll: Should kindergarten be mandatory?
Written by Pamela Wheaton on Thursday, 09 February 2012 15:27City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says kindergarten should be mandatory for all 5-year-olds. In her State of the City address Quinn, who co-sponsored the Insideschools' event on applying to public elementary school this week, said she is working with the state legislature to get a law passed which would allow New York City to make kindergarten compulsory. All children who turn five years old this year are guaranteed a seat in kindergarten although they do… -
Ask Judy: Waitlists for kindergarten?
Written by Judy Baum on Thursday, 09 February 2012 12:53Ed Note: Parents of prospective pre-K and kindergarten students had lots of questions at the Feb. 8 Insideschools forum at the New School. There wasn’t time to answer each one individually, so we grouped together similar questions and Judy will answer them. Here, she tackles questions about schools that may not have enough room for all zoned students. Q: My child falls into the second priority for admission to kindergarten. Within this second priority how… Read more -
Watch our kindergarten workshop online
Written by Clara Hemphill on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 10:30If you missed our forum on "How to apply to public elementary school," you can watch it below. (Please bear with us for the 30 second ad before the video starts). If you'd like to see more events like this, please email our co-sponsor, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. If you prefer words to video, here's a summary of my talk from the event: Starting kindergarten is an exciting time for you and your child.…
How to apply to elementary school
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New to New York City
Your child is entitled to attend kindergarten the year he or she turns five. (If your child has his birthday in late September, October, November or December, he may begin school in September when he is still four.) For information on how to enroll, see… Read more and watch video
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What to look for in a school
You will certainly want to check out your neighborhood school before you enroll your child. You may also want to tour other schools that your child may be eligible to attend. On your visits, consider the following: Close to home or far away? Little kids… Read more and watch video