Schools are preparing for kindergarten registration events and families are learning about kindergarten entrance requirements and options. The Office of Early Learning and School Readiness provides resources and tools for educators, families and children who are getting ready for kindergarten.

Do you have a child, friend or relative who will be starting kindergarten in 2019-2020? Are you an educator or school administrator preparing for your kindergarten registration events for the 2019-2020 school year? The Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and School Readiness has resources, tools, and information to support you on getting ready for kindergarten. 

Check out the updated Kindergarten Webpage to learn more about Kindergarten in Ohio, such as age requirements, education choices, instruction time and length of school year, screening and more.

Review Kindergarten Entrance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to learn more about kindergarten entrance and other important topics related to kindergarten. 

Visit our Getting Ready for Kindergarten Webpage for a handy reference in the areas of development that are important to helping young children prepare for learning. 

Read about Strategies and Recommendations to Improve Kindergarten Readiness. 

Learn more about Ohio’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment and how teachers can use this tool to find out the learning needs of children entering kindergarten. 

Kindergarten is an exciting time in a child’s journey for lifelong learning. Please reach out to our office for further questions or additional resources to prepare for kindergarten. 

Chartered nonpublic schools can administer the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to enrolled kindergarten students. The materials, training and supports are available at no cost to any school that signs an agreement with the Ohio Department of Education. The law requires such a school to notify the superintendent of public instruction, no later than March 31, 2019, of its intent to administer the KRA for the 2019-2020 school year.
 
To use the KRA in fall 2019, complete the survey questions here. Completing the survey does not commit a school to using the KRA in classrooms, but it will meet the requirement for notification and begin the next steps. The survey will remain open through March 31, 2019.
 
Contact Sarah McClusky, assistant director of Curriculum and Assessment, with questions about the survey or Ohio’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
 
The Department will provide more details and resources to help schools with the KRA administration in April 2019.