Kindergarten Registration
The ECCS works closely with Southington parents and the local schools to make the kindergarten registration process as seamless as possible.
Under CT State Law, for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond, children must be age 5 on or before September 1st to attend public school that year. Previously, this cutoff date was January 1st and so children who are turning 5 between September 2 to January 1 will not be able to start public school without an exception.
Unsure when to register your child for preschool or kindergarten? Check out this When to Start chart by birth year. If attending public school then parents also have the option to keep their children at home through age 6.
Southington Public Schools
UPDATE as of 11/24/2025 – Here is the latest registration schedule for the Southington Public School (SPS) district for fall 2026.
January – A child who has not reached the age of five on or before September 1st of the school year may be admitted to kindergarten only (1) upon written request by the parent or guardian of the child to the principal of the school in which the child would be enrolled based on District residency requirements, and (2) following an assessment of the child, conducted by the principal of the school and an appropriate certified staff member of the school, to ensure that admitting the child is developmentally appropriate (“Early Admission Process”). The Early Admission Process shall be available only for a child who will reach the age of five on or after September 2 and before January 1 of the school year.
- Screening sessions will occur on the following Saturdays: January 17th and January 31st beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the
Calendar House at 388 Pleasant Street. - Sign up for a 45 minute slot at 26-27 SPS Kindergarten Screener — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com
- Students can only be screened ONCE.
- Per state law, students five years of age by September 1, 2026, are automatically eligible and,
therefore, do not need a waiver or screener administered. - Any questions should be directed to your child’s school office.
Please Note: An individual screener may be scheduled for a student of a new resident of Southington if residency occurs after the January dates. Please contact District Registrar at 860-628-3204.
The screening criteria is age based so there is no benefit of waiting until a later date. This Early Admission Process may change if the State legislature changes the law requiring an exception during a legislative session.
February or March – Southington Public Schools will hold an in-person Kindergarten Registration Information Session for all parents/guardians who have children entering kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. Pre-registration is not required.
Date: TBD
Location: TBD
Parents/guardians from across Southington, Plantsville, Marion and Milldale, regardless of which elementary school their students will attend, are invited to this session. Sign in when you arrive and hear general information about the registration process and the day-in-the-life of a kindergartner. This program is for adults.
View the 2025 Info Session Slides
March – Online registration will open via the Kindergarten Registration page on the Southington Public Schools site for the following fall. This page also has a list of helpful documents. Anyone who attended the Registration Information Session will be emailed a direct link. The birth certificate, parent ID, residency and other documents needed to complete the registration process will be uploaded. If you have technical issues these can also be brought to the registrar’s office or to the in-person registration appointment.
Date: TBD
Location: TBD
March/April – In-person registration, which you attend with your child, are held at each elementary school. The dates will be announced at the Kindergarten Info Session. Call the school to make an appointment. The children visit with literacy, math and other staff specialists who do a brief developmental screening. This appointment, which takes about 15 minutes, will complete the registration process.
| Elementary School | Phone Number | Name, click for email |
| Derynoski Elementary School | 860-628-3286 | Marianne Russo |
| Flanders Elementary School | 860-628-3372 | |
| Hatton Elementary School | 860-628-3377 | Joanna Green |
| Kelley Elementary School | 860-628-3310 | Cindy Arduini |
| Oshana Elementary School | 860-628-3450 | Tara Sitilides |
| South End Elementary School | 860-628-3320 | Monica Degumbia |
| Strong Elementary School | 860-628-3314 | Kelly Pare |
| Thalberg Elementary School | 860-628-3370 | Melissa Kennedy |
May – Orientation for your child, which usually includes a bus safety talk and a parent meeting. Each of the eight elementary schools will reach out to parents who have registered with school-specific information.
Late August – A letter is sent home to announce the kindergarten teacher and classroom. Teachers will hold an open house or tour the week before schools starts. The bus schedule is published in the local newspapers and on the SPS website one week prior to the start of classes. Medical forms from a physical in the past year must be submitted by this time.
First day of school – Kindergarten students do have bus transportation. Don’t forget to take the first day of school photo in front of the school sign or at your home.
If you are unsure which school your child will attend, please refer to the SPS Street Directory.
Want to know what skills your child should have before they start kindergarten? Check out the “Kindergarten Ready?” page.
More information about the SPS registration process, handouts from the previous information session, forms and dates is on the Southington Public Schools site.
Questions about the SPS Kindergarten Registration process, including a request for screening to determine if a waiver to the new kindergarten cut-off age, can be directed to the SPS central office at 860-628-3204, Kenneth Seltzer, the District Registrar, at kseltzer@southingtonschools.org.
Parochial Schools
The parochial schools in town – Central Christian Academy and St. Luke Catholic – have their own registration process.
St. Luke Catholic School is accepting applications for their full day kindergarten program for students turning 5 by January 1st of their kindergarten year (they are giving waivers to the September 1st cut-off). Young students can be bused right from their Southington home to the school’s front door at 133 Bristol Street. After school care is available on site for busy, working parents. Parents are invited to come visit and explore the benefits of small class size. For more information, call 860-628-2485.
Central Christian Academy, at 1505 West Street in Southington, can be reached at 860-621-6701.
Extended Preschool Options
A few of the preschool providers also offer programs for children who meet the State age eligibility requirements but are not developmentally ready to attend kindergarten. See their listings under Preschool Options.
Choice and Magnet Schools
The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) coordinates the Open Choice and Magnet School programs. Southington children can attend a Hartford district school through the Open Choice program or apply to the lottery to attend a magnet school with a specialized educational theme. There are over 40 schools in the program across the Hartford region serving Pre-K 3 to grade 12.
The RSCO “on-time” application period runs from November until January/February with placements announced in the spring. “Late” applications are accepted into the summer. Learn more on the RSCO site.
Homeschooling
For some children and families, homeschooling may be a better option. In this case, the child should not register for public school.
