Ready for enrollment: Schools, fellow parents offer advice for incoming kindergarteners and parents

When Aug. 9 and 10 arrive, many teary-eyed parents will drop off little ones for one of the biggest days of childhood: the first day of kindergarten.

But preparation for the big day starts long before August.

On Feb. 1, enrollment will open for kindergarteners at all four of Vestavia’s elementary schools. Vestavia Hills City Schools Communications Specialist Whit McGhee said that this year’s process will be similar to that of previous years, with a few minor differences.

Students eligible for kindergarten must be five years old on or before Sept. 1 and residents of Vestavia Hills.

Acceptable forms of age-verification include a birth certificate, adoption forms or an official document from a doctor’s office listing the child’s date of birth.

For proof of residency, parents are not required to have two utility bills.

“We now require at least one utility bill, but the second form of residency can be voter registration, vehicle registration, a canceled check, or another bill — something official with your property address printed on it,” McGhee said. “A mortgage statement, house deed, property tax notice or signed lease agreement is still required for all new enrollments.”

Parents must also provide an official Alabama immunization record for their child.

Those unsure of their school zoning should contact the Board of Education central office at 402-5100. McGhee said parents should contact their school by phone to find out additional information about enrollment, or visit the school’s webpage.

Additionally, each school holds a spring orientation for parents of new students enrolling for the fall.

“Kindergarten orientation is a great opportunity for parents to get more information about their student’s school and get involved early,” McGhee said.

Orientation dates:

► Vestavia Hills Elementary West: April 20

► Vestavia Hills Elementary East: May 1-3

► Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park: May 8

► Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights: April 10

Starting kindergarten is a major step and change for both kids and parents.

“It was hard,” said Ashley Hicks, a Pizitz Middle School teacher who sent her son off to kindergarten at West in 2016.

But Hicks said that after day one, her son loved it, which made it easier.

Another way she said she was able to “cope” was the BooHoo Yahoo that West holds each year for kindergarten parents.

Usually on the morning of the first or second day of school, the BooHoo is the first chance for new parents to get involved with the PTO, and other Vestavia elementary schools hold their own version of the event.

“That type of tradition is great for camaraderie,” Hicks said.

Hicks will send her daughter, her youngest, to kindergarten to join her son at West this fall, and having done it once already, she said she has a better idea of what to expect.

She encouraged other parents to spend time with their young ones reading, practicing letters and doing things around town, as well as just spending quality time together.

“Just soak in that last little bit of childhood,” she said.

For more information about kindergarten enrollment, visit vestavia.k12.al.us/enrollment.