News & Information
Families are encouraged to learn more about the Bellingham School District's kindergarten program by contacting their neighborhood school for the tour schedule and to meet the principal. Registration begins Monday, March 2. To learn more about upcoming kindergarten open house events and for school contact information, please click here.
Children must be 5 years old before Sept. 1 to attend kindergarten or they need to take a district assessment to determine if they qualify for early entrance. Early admittance will be considered for children born between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1. Click here if you need more information about entrance age.
For more about what to bring for registration, required immunizations and early entrance, click here.
Full-Day Option at Pilot Schools: Register by March 13
All schools will offer a half-day, every day kindergarten program from 9 to 11:35 a.m. or 12:55 to 3:30 p.m. There is no cost for half day kindergarten. In addition, Alderwood, Carl Cozier, Happy Valley, Lowell, Northern Heights and Roosevelt elementary schools will offer full-day kindergarten from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on a space-available basis.
Because Washington state does not fund full-day kindergarten in our district, Bellingham needs to operate this program at no cost to the district due to budget challenges. Therefore, monthly tuition will be charged on a sliding scale based on a family's qualifying income for free/reduced meals. A set number of full and reduced pay opportunities for full-day kindergarten will be offered at each of the pilot schools for those registered by March 13. Available spaces for full-day kindergarten, filled by lottery, will be offered with preference given to those living in the full-day kindergarten schools' attendance areas. A waiting list will be developed. Families living outside of the pilot schools' attendance areas may apply for full-day kindergarten, but will need to provide their own transportation if selected. They should register at their neighborhood school and indicate their preference for full-day at a pilot school. Deposits will be required to hold assigned spots. A lottery will be held on Monday, March 16 to fill full-day positions from within the pilot schools' attendance areas. A second lottery will be held March 30 to fill any remaining full-day openings from other schools' attendance areas. Full-day kindergarten will be limited to the six pilot schools during the 2009-10 school year to allow the program to develop with plans to expand in the future.
New for Fall: High Scope
Beginning in fall 2009, children attending kindergarten in the Bellingham Public Schools will receive instruction through a nationally renowned method known as High Scope. This instructional approach is based on the philosophy that children should be actively engaged in their own learning. Students become involved in their learning through interactions with people and hands-on experiences with materials, events and ideas. The program recognizes that children enter kindergarten with a range of skills and abilities. High Scope allows for personalization of instruction and for every child to learn and grow. The method involves teachers and parents in supporting children's emotional, intellectual, social, and physical skills and abilities. Literacy, math, science, music and the arts, play and physical education are all part of children's learning program. To learn more about High Scope: www.highscope.org
Return on Investment
A landmark, long-term study of the effects of high-quality early care and education on low-income 3 and 4 year olds shows that adults at age 40 who participated in a preschool program in their early years have higher earnings, are more likely to hold a job, have committed fewer crimes, and are more likely to have graduated from high school. Overall, the study documented a return to society of more than $16 for every tax dollar invested in early childhood education. The High/Scope Perry Preschool study was conducted over four decades.