Dear Judy,*

We tried to register my son for kindergarten last week but were denied because of insufficient documentation. We were given a "tentative" registration but told to return with more documents ASAP.

We live in the school's zone (we're not trying to "game" the system) but we're stumped as to how to meet the tough standards for documentation. We live in a co-op (thus utility bills are in the co-ops' name, not ours) and also do all of our personal banking and bill paying electronically. In addition, my office is paperless as well, with all payroll on line. Because the schools do not accept computer print outs of documents, we are having trouble.

- Cyberdad

Dear Cyberdad,

According to Marty Barr, the director of elementary school enrollment, there are ways to get around proving residence despite the problems caused by living in a co-op and in a totally paperless universe.

You say the school accepted the documents that you submitted re the co-op, namely a mortgage statement. Another acceptable document is a proprietary lease with your name and address on it. But that is only one category. You need proof from another.

Here are some suggestions from the Department of Education for the second proof:

Request a letter from the human resources department in your office (there must be some official letterhead stationery around.) The letter should attest to the fact that your company submits payroll deductions, W2's and 1099's to the IRS using your address. The letter should be dated and mailed to you and you should submit the letter in the envelope, showing that you received it at your address. He also said that you can request a letter from your bank attesting to your address, and mailed to your address.

There are other possibilities including a letter from any other official agency on letterhead such as a tax refund from the state or federal government, a jury notice, an overdue parking ticket, or a letter from the social security administration re your status. You can request this if you have not received it but timing can't be predicted.

You may find the list of documents required for registration on the Department's website. You can find more information about enrolling in kindergarten in our Basics section.

Good luck,

Judy

*This question was not sent to Insideschools.org but was posted on a Brooklyn parent listserv.