Kindergarten Registration Week is almost here, and Durham’s rising kindergartners need you!
In our ongoing effort to ensure that children in Durham County are prepared for success in school, the Partnership and Durham Public Schools are co-hosting Durham’s first everKindergarten Registration Week during the Week of the Young Child, April 12th-18th. Our goal for this week is to encourage early enrollment and participation in Transition to Kindergarten activities.
On-time enrollment and attendance on the first day of kindergarten are key factors to a quality start to school. In 2013, Durham Public Schools had 344 kindergarteners register after school started. This means that almost 10% of the rising kindergarten class missed the very first days of their academic career, putting them behind their classmates from the start. These early absences have far-reaching and long-term consequences, especially for those students who need school the most and are sometimes getting the least. The missed days in a child’s earliest years are a significant precursor to reduced levels of school achievement and increased risk of dropping out of school.
Our best opportunity to reverse this trend lies in early childhood, and the first step is to get every eligible kindergartner as early as possible. Registration information will be spread far and wide across Durham; at grocery stores and local businesses, hospitals, child care centers, and public agencies. This is where you come in! We are in need of about 150 volunteers throughout the week to pass out information and speak to parents and children. Please sign up now to help rising kindergartners in Durham!
