Register children for next school year now in Medford

Medford >> Parents who need to sign up their children for school in the Medford district can do starting now.

Children who will turn age 5 on or before Oct. 5, can enter kindergarten and parents have until Jan. 5 to register. Parents need to complete the 2015 Enrollment Survey Form before Jan. 5, according to Patricia Dyer, with Medford Township Schools. The form is available on the Medford Township Public School website at www.medford.k12.nj.us. After completing the online form, the next step Dyer said, is to call Christina Hughes, after Monday, Jan. 5, at the District’s Central Registrar’s Office at 609-654-6416, press 6, to schedule an appointment to complete the registration process. All registrations should be completed prior to the Kindergarten Round-Up, which will take place April 23 at the school where your child will attend.

“Upon scheduling your appointment with Ms. Hughes, she will send you a registration that must be completed prior to your appointment,” Dyer said. “We respectfully request that parents refrain from bringing their child with them to this scheduled appointment.”

Parents will need to bring the following items with them to their scheduled appointment: an original birth certificate; three proofs of residency in Medford; a physician authorized record of immunization for Polio, Rubella, Mumps, Measles, Chicken Pox, DPT, and Hepatitis B; a physical examination form completed by your health care provider; and the completed registration packet.

During your registration appointment with Hughes, parents will be asked to sign up for a kindergarten screening appointment, which will take place at your respective school during the week of April 27.

In addition to school, Dyer said, the Medford Township Public Schools in partnership with the YMCA of Burlington County will be offering an Extended Kindergarten Program again this year.

“The program’s inaugural year, overall, was a huge success and well received by students and their parents,” she said.

This program, which offers before and after school care, is available to students enrolled in kindergarten in any of Medford’s elementary schools, pending the minimum enrollment requirement and classroom availability, she said.

“It is our hope this competitively priced program will provide convenience for our parents, an enjoyable extended experience for kindergarteners in their respective school and most importantly support the skills being taught in our kindergarten classrooms. If interested, I encourage you to register early to reserve a seat for your child,” Dyer said.

Enrollment in the extended care program can be done starting now, and information including goals and activities, a parent handbook, program options, pricing and registration forms can be found online at ycamp.org/school-age-care/extended-kindergarten-program.

Pre-school enrollment for the Kirby’s Mill School Integrated PreSchool Program, for children ages 3 and 4, will begin Jan. 13. Parents can fill out a form online at www.medford.k12.nj.us.

Questions about the extended care program can be directed to Maryann Birchler at YMCA Camp Ockanickon, 609-654-8225, ext. 1501 or at maryann@ycamp.org.

For questions about enrollment in Medford Schools, call Hughes at 609-654-6416, ext. 6.