ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The 2025-26 school year will be here before everyone knows it, and the USD 480 staff is already working to make sure enrollment goes smoothly for everyone, including incoming kindergarteners.
“We are currently encouraging parents to register their child for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year anytime that is convenient for them from April 14 until July 18 at the Newcomers Center at 615 W. 7th Street,” Newcomer Center Enrollment and Program Coordinator Maria Martinez said. “This is for children who did not attend preschool at Bright Start Early Learning Center – if a child attended preschool at Bright Start, they are already registered for kindergarten at USD 480 and will only need to enroll at the USD 480 enrollment event, which is scheduled for July 23 and 24 at the Seward County Activity Center. Parents will need to bring all shot records, their child's birth certificate, and two proofs of address with them to register. A physical will also be required, but not at the time of registration, they can bring that with them at enrollment in July. Parents can make an appointment by calling (620) 604-1620 or (620) 604-1621, and children must be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31 to be eligible for kindergarten. What we'll do here is pre-register them so they're in our system before they officially get enrolled for the school year. Bright Start Early Learning Center has its own enrollment process, so if you have a preschool child, you'll need to contact them at (620) 604-2000 and set up an appointment with that staff. Enrollment in July is mandatory for all students who complete registration this summer and all students who attended Bright Start Early Learning Center.”
Martinez said there are many benefits to taking part in the pre-registration.
“We definitely recommend doing this pre-registration so parents can be ahead of the game and not wait until the last minute. Doing this also helps us see how many teachers we get and where they'll get assigned, so the sooner we can get a head count, the better,” Martinez said. “If they don't register during the summer, when they come to enroll in July, it'll take a lot more time because there'll be that extra paperwork to fill out and there's just a lot more to do. But, if you get all of that done during the summer, it'll be such a breeze and it'll be just enrollment that needs to be completed come July. Getting your child registered early for kindergarten helps answer some questions parents might have, and it helps make the enrollment process in July go much quicker. Early registration can also help parents come up with a plan and make any needed arrangements for when school starts in August. Also, if you come in earlier and we miss something, like if there's a document missing, we can get in touch with you and help you make sure you get it in before the craziness of enrollment in July. It really helps everyone out if people get their stuff done early, it just helps things go much more smoothly. Pre-registration takes 30 to 45 minutes per student, and since the district is so big, we want to get everyone enrolled and taken care of as quickly as possible so there aren't any super long lines of parents and students waiting, especially since at enrollment, we're talking ALL students kindergarten through 12th grade.”
Martinez said it is important for parents to not wait until the last minute to get everything together.
“We really encourage parents to have everything ready ahead of time so when they come to enroll, they more or less get in and out within 10 to 15 minutes,” Martinez said. “And if anyone has any questions or concerns, we're here at the Newcomers Center to help, and we'll be here all summer to take calls and emails and send out any necessary information. We're really wanting to get the information out there that if they're brand new to our district and they'll be entering kindergarten, they need to register this summer so we can get them in PowerSchool and get them their ID. When parents come in for the pre-registration, that's also when we do lunch applications and bus applications, and we also do some extra checks to make sure the contact information and all of that is correct. Something else parents should know about is the ASQ testing, that will be taking place July 29 and 30 at your student's school, and families will need to sign up for a time slot with that.”
Even though the current year is still going on, Martinez said there is already excitement for incoming students.
“With the pre-registration, we typically see more people when it gets closer to enrollment in July because that's when families are more likely to be trying to get into that back-to-school mindset and taking care of all of that. But if we can get the kindergarteners pre-registered, it will make the enrollment process in July so much easier and quicker for everyone, so that's why we're encouraging families to get this done before all of that,” Martinez said. “We're really excited to be starting a new year, it's crazy to think it's already almost the end of the 2024-25 year, and the 2025-26 school year will be here before we know it! We're excited to see how many new kindergarteners and families we get, I know there have been some changes when it comes to enrollment through USD 480.”
Overall, Martinez said, she and her staff are ready to get to work.
“We've got flyers being shared throughout town and on the district's social media pages, so we're definitely working to make sure people know this is going on,” Martinez said. “If you know of parents with a new kindergartener, make sure to share this with them and tell them to get pre-registered. And again, if they've attended Bright Start Early Learning Center, those parents don't need to do that since they're already in our system, they'll just need to go enroll in July. We are so excited to meet our new students in the fall and all of the things that go along with helping them get started on the right foot as they begin their educational journey.”
