Kindergarten: Applying in a vacuum

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By Joyce Szuflita
It is hard to wait for information that never seems to come. This is what you can do now to prepare:

  1. Create an account on MY SCHOOLS. This is the DoE’s admissions platform and everything about prek, G&T and kindergarten passes through it. If you applied for Prek, you are already in the system. If not, creating an account will let the DoE know that you exist, have a prospective kindergarten age kid and probably want information when it does present itself.

  2. SIgn up on the DoE’s website. You can add your name to the list for email blasts that the DoE will send out when the time comes.

  3. Sign up for Inside Schools + This is a forum sponsored by the wonder people at Inside Schools. You can ask questions and share information about the schools you are currently in and admissions for the next step.

  4. Go to the individual school websites and search for virtual tour info or school videos. Read my blog about touring.

Generally the first thing that happens in the fall before kindergarten is that you sign up for a test date for G&T. I am assuming the City has enough on their plate and would prefer not to start a pitched battle over G&T. My guess is that G&T is going forward this year, but don’t hold me to that.

  1. Watch for G&T sign up (on MY SCHOOLS, etc.) Last year the sign up deadline was Nov. 12 - so that is not happening this year. They usually give a month sign up window. It is never first come first served. You are signing up for a test date that would usually take place in January. Yeah. Probably not January this year. How will they test the kids? This is why all this is taking so long.

  2. You can get an idea about what they are testing in last year’s G&T Guide. (testing ended in the DiBlasio administration)

The Application deadline is generally in mid January. That is very likely not going to be the case this year. Whenever it happens, you can rank up to 12 programs in true preference order on the electronic application that you will find on MY SCHOOLS later in the fall or winter. There is no first come, first served aspect to this.

Placement has generally come in the early spring. Yet again, this is probably not what will happen, but it is good to know the normal course of events when you are course correcting.