To New York’s Department of Education, the kindergarten sign-up period that begins today is “intake,” a time to discover which public schools will be filled beyond capacity come September, and which will have room to spare.

But to parents who have staked their children’s  future on NYC’s public schools, kindergarten intake is more like a long stay at a high-stakes roulette table. Severe overcrowding at many elementary schools leaves some New Yorkers gambling that their zoned neighborhood schools will have room for their kids. Others fear they will no longer win seats at good schools that formerly accepted out-of-zone students. Answers won’t come until three weeks after this initial application period ends March 4.

Adding to the anxiety are several new boundaries for school zones around the city. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, for example, new boundaries mean many parents are discovering they are zoned for PS 452, an elementary school that opened in 2010 to alleviate overcrowding in District 3. Taryn Siegelberg, whose daughter is now assigned to start kindergarten at PS 452 instead of popular PS 87, said some friends in her rezoned neighborhood “got really upset” at the change – although Siegelberg has heard positive things about PS 452 and is eager to check out the small new school.

“When I called to make an appointment for the tour, the principal actually answered the phone,” Siegelberg said. “He was so helpful and nice.”<!--more-->

Across the park on the Upper East Side, zones have been set for two schools --  PS 267, which opened last fall, and PS 151, which plans to move into the building now occupied by Richard Green High School. As a result, some parents find that they are no longer zoned for popular PS 290 or  PS 183.

The DOE has not made public any citywide numbers showing how many NYC students attend schools outside their neighborhood zones – figures that might let nervous parents calculate the odds of whether their kids will get in a highly regarded kindergarten. But,  a few dozen schools around the city had to "cap" certain grades, including kindergarten, this year and send some zoned kids elsewhere; meanwhile some under-enrolled schools typically have room for children from outside the neighborhood.

A few districts host fairs to introduce their schools. District 1, on the Lower East Side, has no zoned schools at all and offers a fair from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at PS 20, located at 166 Essex St. District 3's fair, designed to teach parents how to apply for its elementary schools, including those with French and Spanish dual-language programs, runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, at PS 165, at 234 W. 109th St.

The best way to learn about a school is to visit.  Details on how to make tour appointments are typically available on each schools’ Web site.

Here are a few guidelines about applying to kindergarten:

— Any child born in 2006 who lives in New York City is eligible to begin kindergarten in September.

— Parents must apply in person at the school they want their child to attend, even if it’s their assigned neighborhood elementary school. Parents who wish to apply at more than one school must make separate applications at each school.

— Parents must bring their child’s birth certificate or passport. Parents also must provide two documents showing proof of residence, such as a lease, utility bill or IRS form.

— The application period ends March 4. Schools will notify families of assignment offers starting March 21. Pre-registration at schools runs from March 28 to April 15.

More  information on elementary school admissions is on the DOE site and in our Basics on Applying to elementary schools.