TREASURE VALLEY — Registration for Nampa and Boise School Districts will begin in March. In Idaho, you can register your child for kindergarten if they are five on or before September 1st. Stacey Roth, the administrator of student programs at the Boise School District, says most elementary schools in the district have open enrollment. But dual-language schools, Whittier Elementary and Whitney Elementary have the potential to have a lottery.
"We want native English speakers and native Spanish speakers because that's really what makes a dual-language program. If you're a native English speaker doing all those things in English, it helps your child, and if you're a native Spanish speaker, singing, reading, counting all of that in Spanish is great and any language really for all of our kids," said Stacey Roth, Boise School District.
In some cases, they also have a lottery for all-day kindergarten.
"We want to instill that love of learning and curiosity, and it's such a prime time because kids at that age are just curious about everything, and everything is so exciting," said Roth.
The Nampa School District has one dual language school; New Horizons Academy also has a lottery.
"Parents can apply, get in, and students are drawn through a lottery system. Again, that been super successful in seeing because the students once they get into pre-school, it allows them to get that early education early on, and it helps them better prepare for kindergarten," said Gregg Russel, assistant superintendent Nampa School District.
Russel says pre-school and kindergarten are the foundation for the rest of their education.
"To come in to learn the academics, but also to learn the social and emotional aspects of how to work with others, sharing, playing. All of those things are key ingredients to learn, and that foundation gets built upon as they go throughout their schooling," said Russell.
Kindergarten registration is March 5th in Boise. Nampa's registration starts on March 25th.
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