GARDEN GROVE, Calif. ― Early registration for fall
transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classes begins March 6 in the Garden
Grove Unified School District. Registration takes place at the child’s elementary
school.
State law changed the date over a three-year phase-in period
in which children must turn 5 to enter kindergarten from Dec. 1 to Sept. 1. For
the 2013-14 school year, children must be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1,
2013, for kindergarten admission. For the 2014-15 school year, children must be
5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2014.
With the change in the kindergarten admission age, the
transitional kindergarten program will be offered for children who turn 5 years
old between Oct. 2 and Dec. 2, 2013.
There are no exceptions to the minimum age requirements
for transitional kindergarten or kindergarten.
Transitional kindergarten, provided next year at all
GGUSD elementary schools, is the first year of a two-year kindergarten
program. Transitional kindergarten features a modified kindergarten curriculum
with lessons that are age and developmentally appropriate. The daily, half-day
sessions will include whole-group and small-group discussion and independent
and hands-on learning. Participation in transitional kindergarten is voluntary.
However, the district strongly encourages the enrollment of all eligible
children because an additional year of learning will provide a stronger
foundation for building academic success in school.
For transitional kindergarten or kindergarten
registration, parents are requested to present one of the following documents
to the school office as proof of the child’s birth date: certified copy of the
birth record; statement of the local registrar/county recorder certifying the
date of birth; baptism certificate duly attested; passport; immigration visa;
or an affidavit from the parent, guardian, or custodian of the minor when no
other document is obtainable.
Before children can be legally enrolled in school, California
law also requires they receive the following immunizations: the MMR series ―
red measles (rubeola), mumps, German measles (rubella); the DTP series ―
diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis); polio; Hepatitis B; and
chicken pox (varicella). The requirement for the chicken pox immunization may
be waived if a health care provider documents immunity. Contact the local
school for specific immunization dosage requirements.
Immunizations are available from private medical
providers, at clinics maintained by the Orange County Health Care Agency (714)
834-4722, and the district’s Assessment and Registration Center (ARC) clinic
next to Cook Elementary School, 9802 Woodbury Road, Garden Grove, (714)
663-6411.
The parent or guardian must accompany the student for
immunizations at the ARC clinic, and they are required to provide written
documentation of any previous immunizations administered by a physician or
health care agency.
Children are required by state law to receive a full
physical exam, which includes a tuberculosis skin test, within 18 months of
entering first grade. Parents should arrange for this checkup with their
pediatrician, at which time the child must obtain the TB test and update any
required immunizations. To satisfy first-grade admission requirements, the
physical must not be completed earlier than March 1 of this year. All required
forms are available from the school office.
Along with the immunization requirements, all children
must receive an “oral health assessment” – a dental check-up – by May 31 in
either kindergarten or first-grade, whichever is his or her first year in
public school. Oral health assessments administered up to 12 months before a
child enters school also satisfy this requirement. The assessment must be
performed by a licensed dentist and/or other licensed or registered dental
health professional.
An “Oral Health Assessment/Waiver Request” form,
available in the school office, must be completed by the parent or dental
professional and returned to the school. Please contact the school office for
additional information.
Parents are encouraged to register their children for
transitional kindergarten or kindergarten during the period of March 6 through
June 19, the final day of classes in the current school year. Enrollment will
not resume until school offices open for the fall.
Information on school attendance areas is available from
the neighborhood elementary school, the district office at (714) 663-6391, and
online at www.ggusd.k12.ca.us/locator/school_search.asp
The Garden Grove Unified School
District serves most of Garden Grove and portions of Santa Ana, Westminster,
Fountain Valley, Cypress, Stanton and Anaheim.
