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Preschool Registration

 

Thank you for your interest in the Springfield Public School’s preschool program! At this time, our preschool lottery selection for September, 2023 has closed. Upon registration, students will be placed on the waitlist.

If your child has been classified and requires special services, please contact Special Services Secretary, Susan Giordino at sgiordino@springfieldschools.com or 973-376-1025 ext. 2498.

 

Early Childhood Contact Information:

Mrs. Chihui Seo-Alfaro
Director of Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Springfield Public Schools 
973-376-1025 ext. 4244
cseoalfaro@springfieldschools.com

 

 

Attention Preschool Families:

  • Please note that since preschool seating is extremely limited, only families who have completed the enrollment process by the preschool registration deadline will participate in the preschool lottery.  Families that submit registration following the date will be added to a waitlist in the order of the registration. 

  • Information about the lottery can be found below.

  • Information about our preschool program can be found on our website.

 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Be domiciled (a resident) in Springfield

  • Meet the cut-off age: Must be 3 or 4 years old, on or before October 1st.

  • Pre-register on-line, and provide copies of the supportive documents to complete enrollment (if homeless or in need of language assistance, please contact the school). 

 

Children must be registered to enter the lottery. To register a student new to the district for Preschool:

Complete and submit the Online Registration available on the district’s website.

  • Please make sure to select the correct school year 2023-2024. 

  • As you move through the forms, the system will automatically save the information you entered.  You may exit the online registration tool at any time, and your documentation should be saved.

  • If you have any students already enrolled in our district, the same online process applies to register any new sibling(s). Once registration is completed, the new student record will be linked to your existing OnCourse Connect portal account. 

  • If you have a student you are re-enrolling (the student was already enrolled at any time or school within our district), please contact the school secretary.

  • Our online registration tool will require you to download specific forms related to your residency and child’s medical information.  Please look closely at each of the forms, as some must be downloaded, completed, and signed by you and/or your student’s doctor before you can upload them.  Enrollment documentation required includes:

  • Official & original birth certificate of the registering student(s)

  • You will be asked to provide four proofs of residency:

    • A complete list of forms of documentation for proof of residency may be found here:(https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1685462950/springfieldschoolscom/gfypcbhzln0ngq8rrmw2/RESIDENT_PACKAGE.pdf)

      • Primary: deed/lease, or current mortgage statement, or current municipal tax statement

      • Secondary: one current (last 45 days) utility bill or other legal mail addressed to your name at your Springfield address

        • *If you have just moved to a new address in town, we will accept a confirmation of utilities as temporary secondary proof of residency until you receive a utility bill.  For example, a JCP&L service start date email (usually emailed by a utility company as an appointment confirmation at the time you call to set up services).

  • Current immunization record (Required Health Forms) 

  • Transcripts/report cards are required for placement at the middle and high schools and requested by the elementary schools.

  • Special circumstances that may require additional documentation:

  • If Parents/Guardians live at more than one residence, regardless of which parent has legal custody, court documentation of the custody agreement must be supplied.

  • If Legal Guardian, court documentation of guardianship is required.

  • Affidavits required for registrants living with Springfield homeowners, renters, no lease, etc.  Please contact the school’s registrar for specific forms.

  • While the data is secured and encrypted, if you feel uncomfortable for any reason providing any of these forms virtually, you may proceed without uploading the forms and you will be required to provide them during a scheduled verification appointment. 

  • New and returning families will receive the Annual Registration form, which includes school-level forms in August 2023, with school-specific information and forms. 

 

Lottery Information:

  • The Springfield Public School District will be utilizing a lottery system to place eligible preschool applicants for the 2023-2024 school year. Please see the lottery selection process here. Only families who have completed the enrollment process will be eligible to participate in the lottery. The enrollment process is not considered complete until all necessary documents have been provided.

  • If you have twins, please submit one entry for each child. If your child gets a seat in our preschool program and has a twin who was also in the lottery, both children will be admitted. 

  • Please be advised that school and district staff will be unable to confirm enrollment status. A confirmation email will be sent by the Office of Registration to those who have completed the enrollment process (beginning 1-2 weeks following the deadline). This will confirm your child(ren)’s eligibility for the lottery.

  • It is imperative that you include your email address when filling out the online registration form, as this is the primary method of communication the district will utilize when notifying families of acceptance and placement decisions. 

  • Families who have been selected to participate in the preschool program, via the lottery, will receive an email notification of their child’s school assignment prior to July 1, 2023.  The child’s teacher assignment will be provided in August 2023. 

  • Those children who do not get a seat immediately will be put on a waitlist in the order of their assigned number via the lottery process.

  • Any additional children (e.g., new residents to Springfield) who were not in the lottery will be put on the waitlist AFTER those who participated in the lottery, in their order of registration. 

  • Children with special needs/IEP's do NOT participate in the lottery. As per NJDOE code, your child will automatically have a seat in our preschool program and receive any/all related services specified in their IEP. If your child has been classified and requires special services, please contact Special Services Secretary, Susan Giordino, at sgiordino@springfieldschools.com or 973-376-1025 ext. 2498.

  • If your child will be 5 years-old on or before October 1st, 2023, you will need to register him/her for Kindergarten.
     

Waitlist Information:

  • If your child is not selected in the drawing or pre-registration is completed after the drawing, your child will be automatically placed on the waiting list. 

  • Students that are registered by the deadline, but are not selected via the lottery will be placed on the waiting list in the order of their assigned number.  For example, if the student is number 125, and there are 90 open spots, the student will be number 35 on the waitlist. 
     

Curriculum:
Springfield Public Schools utilizes Teaching Strategies Creative Curriculum for Preschool, a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning.  Using exploration and discovery as a way of learning, Creative Curriculum enables children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills.   In addition, the classroom teachers will utilize Teaching Strategies GOLD, an online assessment system that helps us plan for each child and ensures that every child is making progress. 

 

Creative Curriculum for Preschool

  • is based on 38 objectives for development and learning, which now show the seamless progression of learning and development across the early childhood years, in every area critical to children’s future success.

  • presents knowledge-building volumes and daily practice resources in tandem, giving every educator the “what,” “why” and “how” of early childhood education.

  • offers daily opportunities to individualize instruction, helping teachers meet the needs of every type of learner.

  • addresses all the important areas of learning, from social-emotional and math to technology and the arts, and incorporates them throughout every part of every day.

  • offers daily, built-in opportunities for observation, helping teachers and administrators clearly see the strong relationship between curriculum and assessment.

  • offers complete support for working with English- and dual-language learners, including detailed guidance that helps to build teachers’ knowledge about best practices.

  • contains guidance for working with all learners, including advanced learners and children with disabilities.

  • Spanish and bilingual editions are also available.

 

RESOURCES:

Teaching Strategies

Early Childhood Education https://www.nj.gov/education/earlychildhood/preschool/index.shtml

New Student Registration Portal:  https://www.oncourseconnect.com/registration/8235