When to Sign Up for Preschool and Kindergarten? Now!
Apr 11th, 2008 by masspreschools
We polled Massachusetts preschools and kindergartens around the state and found a surprising result. We wondered when the peak time for preschool and kindergarten signup was as part of our research into developing a time-line for parents. We assumed the peak time was in the early spring and coincided with the application deadlines for many schools (which is usually in January and February). We were surprised to learn that preschool and kindergarten sign ups in Massachusetts happen in two surges - creating two peaks “seasons” not just one. Indeed, there is a large peak of preschool application made in January and February. However, a larger surge of interest and application occurs in May and June. In fact, it appears that most seats are filled in high quality preschools in two trounces - one in January and the second in May.
Essentially there are early birds - those parents that take action to lock in a place in a quality preschool in January. The second group are those parents that either didn’t get a spot in their preferred preschool or kindergarten and therefore start looking again, and those parents that didn’t start looking for preschool arrangements in the fall until the first signs of spring start to show themselves.
Knowing this, if you haven’t found a quality preschool yet - act now. If you wait until May and June, you will be competing with a large pool of parents that will have the effect of limiting your choices. While September seems way off - you are not too late to find the perfect preschool for your child.
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