BY DENNIS LYNCH | The Department of Education (DOE) opened its kindergarten applications on Nov. 30, and parents have until Jan. 13, 2017 to complete the simple application. Any child born in 2012 who currently lives in New York City is eligible to attend kindergarten in Sept. 2017.
The online application is the simplest method, and can be found here. Along with English, applications are available in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Korean, Haitian Creole, Bengali, Urdu, and French. You can also apply over the phone by calling 718-935-2400, which, according to the DOE, has translations services in 200 languages.
If you have any big questions or prefer a more personal interaction, parents in the Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen area can head over to the DOE Family Welcome Center (333 Seventh Ave., btw. W. 29th & W. 28th Sts., 12th Floor, Room 1211) to apply in person, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon. through Fri.
Visit schools.nyc.gov/choicesenrollment/newstudents.welcomecenters to access the full list of Family Welcome Centers.
Competitive parents take note: Applications are not first-come, first-served. The DOE treats the last application in before the deadline the same as it treats the first.
The DOE’s Kindergarten Connect program allows parents to rank the schools they would like their child to go to if the school they are zoned for is full. Its always a good idea to list those schools, but parents in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen shouldn’t worry too much about not getting into their zoned school. According to District 2 Community Education Council Vice President Shino Tanikawa, the neighborhood’s school are not overcrowded like some others in the district, which covers most of Lower Manhattan.
“P.S. 11 is starting to get really crowded, so we may be getting there sometime soon — but right now, it’s a relatively straightforward process in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen,” Tanikawa said.
Applications for Pre-K will open in Jan. 2017.
