Tips and Links For Spring Kindergarten Registration Time

Tips and Links For Spring Kindergarten Registration Time:
Begin Involving Families in New Learning Experiences

New registration for kindergarten is often our first opportunity to begin building caring relationships with families. This is when we create anticipation for an exciting year and begin engaging parents in an important literacy partnership that will have long-term benefits for their child.

“We have a covenant with parents that says we jointly share responsibility for teaching your child.”

- Ernest Boyer*

1. Make kindergarten registration a joyful and informative time. Consider showing a slide or video presentation of last year's students engaged in celebrating learning and building friendship. Share your love of teaching and acknowledge parents as the most important teacher their child will ever have.

Give parents copies of the nursery rhymes you will be using and — ideally — a tape of the rhymes "well said." Help parents understand the educational value of memorizing traditional Mother Goose rhymes. (Download Favorite Nursery Rhymes and see parent letters: Make Friends with Mother Goose.)
Give parents a booklist of your favorite predictable literature and quality fiction and nonfiction. Include “Books that Sing and Rhyme,” information about getting a library card and summer library hours. (See Favorite Books that Sing and Rhyme and Predictable Books that Children Love to Read.)
Share samples of your district kindergarten art and writing continuum and give children a blank journal to draw and write in over the summer.
Give each parent a name card showing how their child will be expected to print their name every day at school. Encourage at-home practice. (See Teaching Your Child to Print Their Name Efficiently.)

2. Let parents know how important your “parent as partners” program is to each child’s success in school. Give parents a list of Fun Family Activities to Develop a Love of Learning.

3. A parent information notebook or packet with general school information and calendars can be given to each family at this time. Advise parents to keep this notebook in a safe place as you will add to it in September!

Tell parents about your “open door” policy — they are always welcome to visit and help in the classroom. All they need to do is check in at the office. Include information and forms for parents wanting to be class volunteers.
Consider including a photo essay of your teaching philosophy and practice: Who I Am in the Lives of Children.
Add parent information letters. (See Parents as Partners.)

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