Since moving from half-day to full-day kindergarten three years ago, Seymour Community School Corp. continues to experience growth in its kindergarten enrollment.

With increased numbers comes additional funding from the state, but more importantly, more students are being better prepared for first grade, school officials said.

Currently, the corporation’s kindergarten enrollment stands at 359, up from the 348 students who started school in August, said Lisa Ferguson, director of curriculum.

She said she expects that number to trend up again when the school begins registering students this spring.

“We hope that it goes up,” she said. “We’re expecting between where we are now and the 400 mark.”

The district is planning to continue its full-day kindergarten program at all five of its elementary schools for the 2015-16 school year.

Business manager Steve Nauman made that recommendation last week to school board members, who agreed the program has been successful. They are scheduled to vote on the matter in March.

Nauman said the corporation receives a full-day kindergarten grant as part of its state funding support.

“During the last fiscal year, that grant brought in $887,000, so it pretty much funds the full-day program,” he said. “Based on just the financial findings, I would see no reason not to continue it.”

Kindergarten round up dates have been set for three days in April. The first is for non-English-speaking families and will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. April 2 at Seymour Middle School. Translators will be available to assist families in the sign-up process.

The second date is April 7, and parents can sign their children up at the school they will attend during school hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On April 16, a district wide roundup will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the middle school for any family that hasn’t signed up their child for kindergarten.

During the roundup events, families will rotate through different stations to learn more about the schools and what they can expect from kindergarten.

Several community organizations that provide services and resources to families and children also will be available during the roundups to make parents aware of what is available in the community.

In order to keep kindergarten enrollment up and to attract new families, the district is looking at different methods of advertising and making registration easier.

“We are investigating ways to put our registration and processes online,” Ferguson said. “We put up English and Spanish flyers throughout the community and try to get the word out the best we can.”

New documentation also will allow families to list their younger children so the corporation can better predict numbers of students in the future, Ferguson said.

A number of factors can impact kindergarten enrollment from an area’s birth rate to increased job opportunities attracting more families to the area.

“We get a lot of calls and interest in our kindergarten program, because families have more opportunities for choice and Seymour has a lot to offer,” Ferguson said. “I think our growth is directly correlated to the quality of education that we offer.”

Just this year, the corporation started a public preschool, which also will feed into kindergarten numbers next year, she said.

Since many parents have to work during the day, full-day kindergarten provides a much-needed service for parents — child care, Ferguson said.

“This is a solution to support families that have to work,” she said.

Since the full-day program relies on state support to operate, there’s always a chance that funding could be cut and the district would have to re-evaluate whether it could sustain full-day kindergarten on its own.

“Things change rapidly, and that could happen, but I think we would try to find a way to make it work,” Ferguson said. “Our school board and the community are very supportive of this, and we do our best to provide a service that has value.”

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BREAKOUT:

Kindergarten Roundup Schedule for Seymour Community Schools

April 2 – 4 to 6 p.m. at Seymour Middle School for non-English speaking families

April 7 – During the school day at the five elementary schools

April 16 – 4 to 6 p.m. at Seymour Middle School for all families who could not attend the previous dates.

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