Online registration is now open and in-person document verification has been scheduled for the week of Feb. 4.
Full-day kindergarten for Mt. Laurel Schools is one step closer to a reality.
The district’s official “Online Registration Portal” is now open on the district’s website, which will allow families to get a jump-start on submitting information required to register a child for kindergarten in the 2019–2020 school year.
Then, once families have followed the online registration process, the district will open a district-wide “Central Registration Center” at the Margaret L. Haynes Transportation & Learning building at 354 Mt. Laurel Road during select hours for the week of Feb. 4 through Feb. 8.
During that week, families can visit the Central Registration Center in person to allow the district to verify the various documents needed to complete a child’s registration for kindergarten.
The district also encourages families to call a special hotline linked to the Central Registration Center to schedule a specific appointment for their in-person verification of documents during the week of Feb. 4.
By calling the hotline at (856) 235–3387, ext. 3022 and making an appointment, officials say families will minimize the time they’ll have to wait for their documents to be verified.
“Registration this year is based on the technology we’ve adopted to move ourselves forward in a more effective an efficient way,” Superintendent George Rafferty said.
Hours for document verification at the Central Registration Center will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day from Feb. 4 through Feb. 8, with additional evening registration sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 6 and Thursday, Feb. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.
To qualify for the district’s full-day kindergarten program for the 2019–2020 school year, students must meet the following requirements:
· The child must be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1 of this year.
· The child’s birth date must be documented by an original birth certificate. The certificate must be presented in person during the verification process.
· A physical examination is required for all kindergarten students. The form that is required to be completed by a child’s doctor is on the district’s online InfoSnap system for families to download.
· Three proofs of residency must be presented in person during the verification process, one of which may be a copy of settlement papers or agreement of sale or lease, in addition to two current utility bills.
· Proof of immunization according to the state Department of Health Guidelines by law, which also must be presented during the verification process.
Of note, the district will also make computers available at the Central Registration Center during the week of Feb. 4 for those families without computers or reliable internet connections so they may complete the online portion of the registration process.
However, the district encourages families with the capability to complete the online registration process to do so prior to visiting the Central Registration Center.
The district will also accept walk-ins for those who visit the Central Registration Center for the documentation verification process, but the district once again encourages families call to make a specific appoint to expedite the process.
Those unsure of what elementary school their kindergarten-aged child would attend can visit the district’s website to view the district’s geographic sending areas, which officials say are bordered by major roadways within Mt. Laurel.
Those still unsure of their child’s home school can contact the district’s Office of Communication Services at (856) 235–3387, ext. 1.
For more information on the registration process or to begin the registration process online, visit the district’s website at www.mtlaurelschools.org/Full-Day-K-2019-2020/.
The district’s launch of a full-day kindergarten program stems from the $35.5 bond referendum voters approved in October, which, among other capital upgrades, provided money needed to convert or build additional rooms at the district’s elementary schools to provide space needed for a full-day kindergarten program.
