New kindergarten eligibility law leaves 4-year-olds in a gray area in Region One

Following a state law announced by Gov. Ned Lamont in early March, Region One elementary schools will not accept any new students to kindergarten who have not turned five by Sept. 1, with no exceptions. The decision has prompted frustrations among some families and raised questions about early education age cutoffs.

Region One School District Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley shared a message with the community on March 24 across multiple platforms announcing that the state had passed a law changing the age requirement for children entering kindergarten. For Region One, the change eliminates the waiver process previously used by parents seeking to enroll younger children they believe are ready for the next step in their education.

The waiver itself is relatively recent, debuting at the start of the 2024–2025 school year in response to new legislation that moved the kindergarten birthday deadline from Jan. 1 to Sept. 1, while allowing younger students to be admitted following a developmental screening.

The new law change eliminates that option as part of an extended effort in Hartford to standardize kindergarten admission rules across the state.

Brady-Shanley noted that since the waiver process was introduced, approximately seven to 10 students have used it per year. Current kindergarten enrollment across Region One elementary schools is 98 students.

Brady-Shanley said that as of early April, few parents had responded, with only one family reaching out to her directly about the change. Still, she sympathizes with parents who want their children in kindergarten but who don’t make the cutoff.

“Four is a tough year, no doubt,” she said.

Darcy Boynton, a Salisbury mother of two, is one parent who is frustrated by what she sees as the relative arbitrariness of age cutoffs. Her younger daughter, who she says thrives in social environments and is ready for the school system, narrowly misses the birthday cutoff for Salisbury Central School’s early kindergarten program, known as EK.

She said the deadline puts her daughter in a difficult place for educational progression. “I just want to make sure we can figure out a plan for her next year where she’s enriched, stretched, learning and growing,” she said. “I don’t want to put the pause on her for a year.”

While her daughter is not directly impacted by the rule change, she sees the hard cutoff as part of a broader, difficult question about assessing the readiness of children to enter kindergarten.

Salisbury Central School Principal Stephanie Magyar said, “We put [the EK] program in place all those years ago because it cuts down significantly in kindergarten retention.” The program is flexible in that it accepts older students based on developmental screening, but will not take students born after Dec. 31.

She recommended that parents of younger children who want their kids to get a head start in the school environment should consider applying for pre-K, even if they feel their child has outgrown it. “If your child can attend pre-K,” she explained, “then they’re here in the school, and we can differentiate,” she said, meaning that staff can tailor the student’s experience based on their demonstrated development and educational progress.

She noted that Region One’s pre-K programs prioritize students with special needs and that placement isn’t guaranteed. Plus, while students who demonstrate a special need are granted free tuition, the program costs $1,200 annually for those who don’t. There is also a middle tier for students who don’t fully qualify for a special need, which costs $600.

She noted that Falls Village’s Lee H. Kellogg school is proposing to add a “combo” pre-K and EK program for the upcoming school year in response to the rule change. She said that at the moment, the addition is the only staffing and budgetary change across Region One schools resulting from the announcement.