Kindergarten all-day next year

After the last state legislative session, Gov. Mark Dayton signed an education budget bill that will fund all-day kindergarten in Minnesota for the first time ever. That means Chisago Lakes School District will be offering free all-day kindergarten to all students beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. We are excited about this new change in state funding and have been busy planning and gearing up already.

Although all day kindergarten will be offered to all students, Chisago Lakes has decided to continue offering one half-day section of kindergarten to students at Primary School since space is available for the program at this location. Parents must be able to transport children home at 11:30 or sign them up for our Kids Club program in the afternoon. We will need at least 20 students signed up for this program by March 1 in order to offer it. All children who will turn five by September 1 are invited to attend kindergarten. Families of kindergarten age children should look for a mailing with kindergarten details in January.

If you know someone who has a child that is kindergarten eligible, please remind them to give us a call. Primary School – 213-2200 Taylors Falls – 213-2100 Both Taylors Falls and Primary will continue to offer pre-school programs for children ages 3-5 within the elementary buildings. The legislature approved new money for early childhood education scholarships. For more information on preschool registration or scholarships, please call our community education office at 213-2600. Minnesota law requires that all students entering kindergarten complete an early childhood screening and have their immunizations up-to-date. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 can be screened at the Family Center in Lindstrom.

To schedule an appointment for screening, please call 213-2600. Upcoming Screening Dates: Friday, January 3 Thurs., Feb. 13 March 6 and 7 May 28, 29, 30