Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 12, 1 December 2013 — Kamehameha preschools applications [ARTICLE]

Kamehameha preschools applications

Kamehameha Schools' Admissions Department is accepting preschool applications through Jan. 31, 2014, for the 2014-2015 school year. Families applying must be current Hawai'i residents. This year, KS will be applying a new preschool entry age requirement in alignment with the DOE's 5-year-old kindergarten age requirement and the elimination of junior kindergarten, whieh takes effect in the 2014-15 school year. "In light of this change, we will apply a new preschool entry age requirement this coming school year, whieh will ensure our present and future preschool families aren't left in a bind after aging out of the 4 year-old program," said Terry Kelly, director of KS' Community Based Early Childhood Education Department, in a news release. New students applying for KS preschools must be 3 years old by July 31, 2014, to be eligible for the 3-year-old program and 4 years old

by July 31, 2014, to be eligible for the 4-year-old program. KS plans to create a 5-year-old programto serve students completing the 4-year-old program in 2015. Those families ean opt to enroll in the 5-year-oldprogrambefore they are eligible for DOE kindergarten in 2016. Kamehameha operates 29 preschools statewide that enroll more than 1,500 children, ages 3 and 4. Roughly 40 percent of enrollees would not have met the minimum age requirement to enter DOE kindergarten, Kelly said. For information about the preschool program and applying, visit www.ksbe.edu/admissions or eall 842-8800 or toll-free from the Neighbor Islands, 1-800-842-4682, ext. 28800.