Alejandra Villamares is a media and communications specialist with Rodel, a statewide nonprofit that partners with policymakers, the private sector, philanthropy and practitioners to make systemic changes that can improve students’ lives.
By Alejandra Villamares
It was no secret that Delaware’s old kindergarten registration process was inaccessible to many families, but the new online kindergarten registration system aims to change that. Gov. John Carney, first lady Tracey Quillen Carney, the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Readiness Teams in early October launched the new, uniform online kindergarten registration system.
Tracey Carney hosted three demonstrations of the new online system across three of Delaware’s libraries: the Seaford District Library, the Harrington Public Library and the Wilmington Public Library.
“I’ve been the honorary chair of the Kindergarten Registration Campaign for the past six years for two reasons,” said Ms. Carney in a release. “One, it makes sense for everyone — the families, the schools, and, most important, the students. And two, 25 years ago, I flunked kindergarten registration — I couldn’t figure out our system here in Delaware. The new universal, online system is so much more family-friendly; it’s more equitable; and it’s more likely to get kids signed up early, which helps the students, families and schools prepare more effectively for the coming year.”
The Delaware Readiness Teams had long sowed the seeds of a new and more accessible online kindergarten registration system. Since 2018, they collected survey feedback from parents of all backgrounds about the challenges they face registering their children for school. Their survey found that 76% of English-speaking parents described the kindergarten registration process as hard or extremely hard to navigate, while 98% of Spanish-speaking families reported the process was hard or extremely hard. Their advocacy efforts led to the Delaware Department of Education creating the online system, thanks to Senate Bill 82, which passed last year.
“The Delaware Readiness Teams are committed to supporting families through the registration process,” said Delaware Readiness Teams program manager Diane Frentzel. “We have created Kindergarten Registration Information Packets to support families as they register for school. Packets are available at all libraries throughout the state. Transitioning into Kindergarten is a big milestone for children and their families. This universal registration system will make the registration process easier so we can focus on connecting families to resources that will prepare children for the transition.”
Prior to this, kindergarten registration was unorganized and difficult. Each district and charter had a different process and criteria for collecting data, so all had different sources of information, varying timelines and different forms that were burdensome and confusing to many families. If families wanted to participate in choice, they had to sort through all the districts’ and schools’ different registration deadlines. Children’s learning was often affected because schools didn’t have accurate intel on their incoming students, so teachers and students alike would struggle to adjust to their school’s settings. Kindergartners who registered late would miss valuable learning time, and 1 in 10 kindergarten students would miss nearly a month of school each year.
The new registration system aims to:
Secretary of Education Dr. Mark Holodick affirmed, “We’re excited this site will make it easier by providing a consistent statewide process. We also hope it will remove barriers some may have, such as transportation and/or getting to a school office during a week day.”
