When to Start
Under Connecticut State Law, children must be age 5 by December 31st to attend public school that year, and thus could start Kindergarten as early as 4 years and 9 months old. As a result, most nursery school programs require that the child must turn 3 by December 31st to ensure a fall start of that same year and thus could start Pre-K 3 as early as 2 years and 9 months old.
So, when can your child start school? This chart shows when they are eligible based on their birth year.
| Birth Year | Pre-K 3 | Pre-K 4 | Kindergarten |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 |
| 2016 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 | Fall 2021 |
| 2017 | Fall 2020 | Fall 2021 | Fall 2022 |
| 2018 | Fall 2021 | Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 |
| 2019 | Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 |
| 2020 | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 |
| 2021 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 |
Enrollment begins during the winter-early spring of the start year, depending on the program. See the Preschool Options or Kindergarten Registration pages for specific registration dates.
