Deer Park elementary expands kindergarten hours

Deer Park Elementary School will offer all-day kindergarten to students next school year.

Principal Michele Kent said the school offered one full-day session last year as a pilot project and saw the students make “tremendous growth.” When kindergarteners are in school from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., they “can do more of what we think kindergarteners should do and also have time for play,” she said.

The school has 95 kindergarteners registered now, but Kent said she’d like others to register as soon as possible to help with classroom planning for next year.

To register a student, parents or guardians should come to the school with the child’s birth certificate and immunization records. But even without that information, parents or guardians can still let the school know of their intent to register a child, Kent said.

Kent would like to have kindergarteners registered by Wednesday, but officials will be at the school through June 23.

For more information, contact the school at 464-5600.