Kindergarten Information

Q. How can I prepare my child for kindergarten?

A. We recommend working on the following skills with your kindergartener to help prepare them for school.

• Count objects to 100 and read numbers in the world around us
• Learn to say their full name and write their first name
• Name objects with a specific attribute, for example name something blue in your house or something that is shaped like a square
• Listen to a story and retell it in your own words
• Put a puzzle together
• Tie shoes, button buttons, zip zippers, snap snaps
• Say the alphabet and practice capital and lowercase letters
• Play rhyming games

The Ohio Department of Education also has several great resources available on their website for kindergarten readiness.

Q. At what age should my child start kindergarten?

A. Due to a recent change in Ohio law, school districts must now use a uniform age-eligibility cutoff for kindergarten enrollment. As a result, our registration guidelines have been updated to reflect this new requirement. If your child will be five years of age on or before August 19, 2026, the first day of school for the 2026–2027 school year, they are eligible to start kindergarten that year. This replaces the previous September 30 cutoff.

Q. How do I enroll my kindergartener?

A. Please register your child online for Current Year at: https://www.hilliardschools.org/25-26-k-12-registration/

Q. What immunizations are required for school attendance?

A. The Immunization Requirements form includes all immunizations required for school attendance.

Q. Does Ohio require children to attend kindergarten?

A. Yes. Ohio law requires children in this state go to kindergarten. Districts cannot admit a child to first grade who has not completed kindergarten unless the district has admitted the child for early entrance to first grade, which means skipping kindergarten.

Q. What should I expect during screening?

A. This is an exciting time for students, families, and staff. You will tour the building and meet some of the school personnel. In addition, district-trained kindergarten screeners will test your child’s readiness skills. This is not a pass/fail screening. Your child’s vision, speech, and hearing may also be evaluated. You can expect this process to take approximately 60-90 minutes. You will receive more detailed information from your child’s home building after your registration is complete.

Q. What is early entrance to kindergarten?

A. According to State Law, children must be (5) years of age on or before the 1st day of school to be eligible to enroll in kindergarten. If a child’s 5th birthday falls after the 1st day of school but by December 31, the parent may apply for early entrance if they believe that the child has superior cognitive ability and social and emotional skills that are typical of children entering kindergarten. The child must pass a one-on-one assessment, similar to gifted testing, to be a candidate for acceleration.

Q. How do I refer my child for early entrance to kindergarten?

A. If your child turns (5) years of age after the first day of school but by December 31st of a given school year and you believe they are cognitively and academically advanced, you can apply for early entrance to kindergarten by completing the following steps:

Please register you child online at www.hilliardschools.org/enroll. Please make sure you enroll for the correct school year and follow all steps.

Come to the Hilliard City Schools Welcome Center to pick up an Early Entrance Application. Complete the application, records release, parent questionnaire, and preschool teacher questionnaire and return all four documents to the Welcome Center no later than July 31st.

Once your application documents are received, you will be contacted by a school psychologist to schedule an assessment . Assessments will occur from April through May and again in August (for applications received over the summer.)