Schools

School Officials Working on Full-Day Kindergarten Makeup After Deposit Deadline

School officials will determine any possible expansion of the full-day kindergarten program based on deposits submitted by last week's deadline and the lottery from earlier this year.

Braintree's saw a spike in interest this winter that has led school officials to examine a possible expansion for fall 2012 – an effort that is nearing completion after a hit last week.

Currently, 60 students are enrolled in a pilot program at , which right now is the only full-day kindergarten space. But with the increased demand – 240 students entered a lottery this year, up from an initial 66 last winter – Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said that there is a "good likelihood" that in addition there will be some home schools programs next fall, despite the fact that deposits fell short of the 180 that he said previously would be necessary for full-day classes at all six elementary schools.

By the Thursday, March 1 deadline, the families of 163 incoming kindergartners had made the $300 deposit ($150 for those eligible for free/reduced price lunch), Dr. Kurzberg said. Of those, 58 noted that they would only be interested in a spot at their elementary school. Families will be notified on March 15 about their placement.

Find out what's happening in Braintreewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We're going to do everything we can to accommodate as many individuals as we can based on their requests," Dr. Kurzberg said on Monday morning.

Depending on interest and what they indicated on their applications, some parents may end up sending their children to other elementary schools, the superintendent added. The final makeup of the program and the placement of students will depend on the application preferences and .

Find out what's happening in Braintreewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For those who are enrolled, the next payment of $450 is due April 1, followed by $750 deposits in July, October and January.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here