THE EARLY ENTRANCE APPLICATION FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW CLOSED.
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Early Entrance to Kindergarten
Early entrance is the admission of a student to Kindergarten who turns five years old on or between September 2 and October 31 of the school year during which you want to enroll your child. It requires an Early Entrance to Kindergarten application and the child will be tested.
Eligibility: For children whose fifth birthday falls on or between September 2 and October 31 of the same year. This must be verified with a certified copy of the birth certificate.
If a child turns five on or before September 1 of their Kindergarten year, then the child is already eligible to enroll in Kindergarten and does not need to go through this process.
Early Entrance to First Grade
Early entrance is the admission of a student to First Grade who turns six years old on or between September 2 and October 31 of the school year during which you want to enroll your child. It requires an Early Entrance to First Grade application and the child will be tested.
Eligibility: For children whose sixth birthday falls on or between September 2 and October 31 of the same year and who have NOT completed Kindergarten in a public school. This must be verified by a certified copy of the birth certificate.
If a child turns six on or before September 1 of their First Grade year, then the child is already eligible to enroll in First Grade and does not need to go through this process.
Important Considerations:
Impact of Early Entrance: The decision to admit a child early is made with careful consideration of their academic, emotional, and social readiness. While a child may show high ability, early entrance can have a profound impact on their long-term academic and social development. We assess each child’s readiness thoroughly to ensure they will benefit from the program without undue challenges.
Rigorous Criteria: The district has specific and rigorous criteria and procedures for evaluating early entrance requests. This process is designed to assess whether early entrance is in the best interest of the child’s overall development.
Acceptance Rate: On average, only 10-15% of applicants are accepted into the Early Entrance Program.
Criteria for Early Entrance to Kindergarten
1. Birthdate: The child must have been born between September 2, 2020 and October 31, 2020, as documented by a certified copy of the birth certificate.
2. Residency: Documentation of meeting the district's residency requirement (review boundaries here).
3. Emotional and Social Maturity: Demonstrated through the Brigance Early Childhood screening tool.
4. Academic Readiness: Assessed through the district's readiness screener and a normed cognitive assessment
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? | |
|---|---|
DEVELOPMENT AREA | TIPS & ACTIVITIES TO PREPARE |
Physical Skills Does your child... Enjoy outdoor play (running, jumping, climbing)? Draws and traces basic shapes? Cuts with scissors? Bounces a ball? | Practice with materials to help develop motor skills including crayons, markers, pencils, glue, scissors, puzzles, tweezers, and blocks. Engage in activities to develop coordination including climbing, jumping, skipping, playing ball, and using playground equipment. Practice with activities that require both small (drawing, pinching things) and large (kicking, running) limb movements. |
Personal Skills Without your help, can your child... Say their first and last name? Use the bathroom? Wash their hands? Button and zip shirt and pants? Tie and/or use Velcro shoes? | Help your child memorize their full name, address, and telephone number. Create morning and bedtime routines for brushing teeth and washing. Have your child to dress themselves. Practice putting on shoes, buttoning, and zipping up clothes. |
Social & Emotional Skills Does your child... Play well with other children? Separate from family members without being upset? Share with other children? Care about the feelings of others? Follow routines? Ask for help when needed? Show interest in reading and writing? | Have your child practice using words to ask for help when feeling sick or hurt. Give your child small chores to learn responsibility. Have your child follow simple directions independently. Encourage your child when they try to do something they find difficult. Provide many opportunities for your child to play with other children, and help resolve any conflict that arises. |
Adapted from the Ohio Department of Education Kindergarten Readiness Checklist | |
Criteria for Early Entrance to First Grade
1. Birthdate: The child must have been born between September 2, 2019 and October 31, 2019, as documented by a certified copy of the birth certificate.
2. Residency: Documentation of meeting the district's residency requirement (review boundaries here).
3. Preschool Attendance: Documentation of at least one year of attendance at a preschool and/or other program with a certified teacher.
4. Emotional and Social Maturity: Demonstrated through the Brigance Early Childhood screening tool.
5. Academic Readiness: Assessed through the district's readiness screener and a normed cognitive assessment.
Application Process
After reviewing the criteria above, families who want to apply for early entrance for their child should follow the process below. You can access the application and Brigance parent feedback forms using the links at the bottom of this webpage.
PHASE I: Initial Application
1. Complete the Online Application: Early Entrance Application
2. Submit Required Documents: Email the following documents to Jason Wynn, the Curriculum Coordinator for MTSS and Gifted Programs, at jason.wynn@psd150.org.
A certified copy of the child's birth certificate.
Proof of residency (e.g., utility bill or lease agreement).
For first-grade applicants: Documentation of at
least one year of preschool and/or kindergarten attendance. Parents/Guardians should provide a letter signed by the student’s preschool/Kindergarten teacher verifying this information.
3. Complete the Online Parent Feedback Form: Parents/guardians will be contacted via email to complete the Online Parent Feedback Form. This form will be sent to the email address on file once we have proof of age, proof of residency, and documentation of preschool and/Kindergarten attendance (if applicable).
Important: Incomplete applications or applications received after April 11, 2025 will not be considered.
4. Screening Appointment: After receiving the completed Parent Feedback Form, a representative from Peoria Public Schools will contact you to schedule a screening appointment between April 14, 2025, and May 2, 2025.
5. Teacher Feedback Form: For applicable cases, we will send a Brigance Early Childhood Teacher Feedback Form to the child's current daycare, preschool, or kindergarten teacher.
Notification of Phase I Results: Families will receive notification of Phase I results by email.
Students who meet the criteria for readiness on the Early Childhood screening tool and the kindergarten readiness screener will move on to Phase II.
Students who do not meet the minimum requirements will have their parent/guardian notified via email, and the early entrance evaluation process for the child will end.
PHASE II: Cognitive Assessment
1. Normed Cognitive Assessment: If your child meets the criteria in Phase I, we will schedule a cognitive assessment with a school psychologist between May 5, 2025, and May 23, 2025.
2. Assessment Criteria: To qualify for early entrance, students must score in the 85th percentile or higher. All scores are final and there are no exceptions.
Notification of Phase II Results: Families will receive notification of Phase II results via email between May 27, 2025 and June 6, 2025.
To qualify for Early Entrance into Kindergarten, a child must score at the 85th percentile or higher on the cognitive assessment. Students who qualify will be invited to enroll for the 2025-2026 school year.
If a student does not achieve this score, the parent/guardian will be notified by email, and the Early Entrance evaluation process for that student will end. All scores are final and there are no exceptions. Families whose children do not meet the criteria will be encouraged to explore other enrollment options in our Early Childhood program.
Please note that you will not be selecting or directly applying to schools, as assignments are determined by home address and District boundaries.
Contact Us:
For questions, please contact:
Jason Wynn
Email: jason.wynn@psd150.org