Kindergarten Registration: 2024-2025 School Year

The Administration and the Board of School Directors welcome you to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.  We have prepared this information to assist you in registering your child for kindergarten. 

Who needs to register?

If your child will be entering kindergarten in September 2024, it is important that you register your child as soon as possible.  In order to facilitate staffing and planning, we need to have an accurate count of children who plan to attend kindergarten during the 2024-2025 school year. 

How do I register my child for kindergarten?

Eligibility

To be eligible for kindergarten admission in September 2024, children must be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2024.  There are NO EXCEPTIONS. 

2 Step Registration Process

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District utilizes a central registration system.  Children can be registered online by CLICKING HERE.  If you do not have access to a computer, you can make an appointment to complete the registration online at the Registration Office which is located at:

Registration Office
Strath Haven Middle School
Administrative Wing
200 South Providence Road
Wallingford, PA  19086

Our contact number is 610-892-3470, extension 1304.  Please utilize this phone number for any questions you may have or to schedule an appointment with someone in the Registration Office.  You may also e-mail your question(s) to Derrick L. Clements, our Registrar:  dclements@wssd.org .

Please visit our Registration Office webpage for more detailed registration information including required registration information as well as copies of all of the forms you will be asked to complete.  The webpage can be accessed by clicking this link . 

Is there a deadline to register my child for kindergarten?

No.  Kindergarten registration is ongoing; however, children must be registered by March 1, 2024 in order to be included in the kindergarten lottery to determine morning or afternoon kindergarten session placement.  Kindergarten students who participate in the English Language Development program will be placed in AM or PM kindergarten necessitated by program needs. Please see more information about the kindergarten lottery below. 

Does the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District offer a full-day or half-day kindergarten program?

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District kindergarten program is a half-day program.  Each student is assigned to either a morning or an afternoon session.  The times for each session are listed below:

Morning Session            8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Afternoon Session        12:45 p.m. –  3:30 p.m.

May I indicate a preference for morning or afternoon session?

Yes.  When completing the Student Survey for Kindergarten included in the online registration materials, families may indicate a preference for either morning or afternoon session, but the School District cannot guarantee that requests will be granted. Kindergarten students who participate in the English Language Development program will be placed in AM or PM kindergarten necessitated by program needs rather than family preference. The School District utilizes the following procedure to ensure equity in assigning sessions. Please note that session assignment will not be made on a first-come, first-served basis and will not be performed during registration.

Kindergarten Lottery

When completing the Student Survey for Kindergarten included in the online registration materials, each family will be asked to indicate one of the following:  no preference, preference for morning session; or preference for afternoon session.  If the number of requests for one of the sessions exceeds our capacity to honor those requests, a lottery (i.e., random selection) will be used to help determine session assignments. If a lottery is necessary, it will be held in conjunction with the Kindergarten Orientation (see below).  Kindergarten students who participate in the English Language Development program will be placed in AM or PM kindergarten necessitated by program needs rather than family preferences or a lottery. Please note: children must be registered* by March 1st in order to be included in the lottery.

*Registration is not considered complete unless all required information has been submitted.  Parents are advised to allow enough time to collect immunization records to submit as part of the complete registration.

 Required registration information includes:

1. Proof of child’s age
2. Proof of residency
3. Immunizations required by law
4. Parent Registration Statement
5. Home Language Survey  

Depending on your individual situation, additional documents may be needed. 

Please visit our Registration Office webpage for more detailed registration information including required registration information.  The webpage can be accessed by clicking this link . 

The District makes every effort to adhere to the selection order determined by the lottery, but reserves the right to make adjustments necessary for balancing classes to provide an optimal learning environment for all students. Parents will be notified in writing of kindergarten teacher assignments in mid-August of 2024.

How do I arrange a tour of the school my child will attend in the fall?

If you would like to tour any of our elementary schools, please contact that school’s Executive Administrative Assistant, who will be happy to assist you. 

If you are unsure which elementary school is your neighborhood school, click this link to see the District school boundaries.

Please help us share this information with your neighbors and friends.

If there is a child of kindergarten age in your neighborhood who has no siblings attending District schools, please relay this information to the child's parent(s)/guardian(s).

If you would like a copy of this information in the form of a flyer, click here.