LEARN Kindergarten Entry Age Procedures
In 2023, the Connecticut Legislature changed the birth date cutoff for a child to enter kindergarten. As a result, children must turn 5 years old on or before September 1 of the upcoming school year to be automatically eligible for kindergarten. Parents/guardians may submit a waiver request to permit early kindergarten admittance for a child who will turn 5 between September 2, 2025 and January 1, 2026.
The following procedures and birthdate guidelines will be used for entrance/placement decisions at LEARN’s Friendship School.
Birthdate Range | 2025-2026 Eligibility |
---|---|
September 2, 2022-Present | Not eligible for enrollment at TFS. |
September 2, 2021-September 1, 2022 | Eligible for enrollment at TFS as PK3 student. |
September 2, 2020-September 1, 2021 | Eligible for enrollment at TFS as a PK4 student. |
September 2, 2020-January 1, 2021 | Eligible for K enrollment consideration following the LEARN Kindergarten Waiver Process outlined below. |
On or before September 1, 2020 | Eligible for K enrollment. |
LEARN Kindergarten Waiver Process
In accordance with legislation, parents/guardians of students born between September 2, 2020 and January 1, 2021, may apply for a waiver to enter kindergarten in a LEARN school for the 2025‐2026 school year. Parents/guardians seeking waiver consideration must:
- Apply on‐time for LEARN’s The Friendship School lottery (between January 1, 2025 ‐March 31, 2025). Late applications submitted after March 31, 2025, will not be eligible for waiver consideration.
- Contact LEARN’s Associate Executive Director, Dr. Ryan Donlon before 5:00 p.m. on March 31, 2025, requesting a kindergarten waiver. Dr. Donlon’s contact information is included below.
Kindergarten waiver requests will be considered only after a student is selected in the lottery and will adhere to the following process.
Current The Friendship School PK Waiver Applicants:
- A holistic assessment and recommendation of readiness will be made by The Friendship School administration after careful review of existing school‐based data including assessment results, report card feedback, student progress toward kindergarten standards, and a family‐completed questionnaire.
- A final waiver determination will be communicated by LEARN’s Associate Executive Director and will be communicated via email to all applicants.
- Current The Friendship School students who are not granted a waiver will be permitted to attend The Friendship School in 2025‐2026 as a pre-kindergarten student.
New External The Friendship School Applicants:
- Waiver applicants will be invited to attend an assessment process following the March 31, 2025, application deadline.
- The assessment will reflect a developmental “snapshot” in time as well as a family-completed questionnaire to inform a discussion of kindergarten readiness.
- A holistic assessment and recommendation of readiness will be made by a small team of early childhood educators. A final waiver determination will be communicated by LEARN’s Associate Executive Director and will be communicated via email to all applicants.
- Waiver decisions are applicable only at LEARN’s The Friendship School and are not
subject to appeal.
Questions and Contact Information
Questions regarding LEARN’s Kindergarten Waiver Process may be directed to LEARN’s Associate Executive Director, Dr. Ryan Donlon.
Questions regarding pre‐kindergarten and kindergarten programming at The Friendship School may be directed to Principal Jessica Silvestro.
Dr. Ryan Donlon
LEARN Associate Executive Director
(860)434-4800 x 1132
rdonlon@learn.k12.ct.us
Mrs. Jessica Silvestro
TFS Principal
(860)447-4049 x 7128
jsilvestro@learn.k12.ct.us