Kindergarten Early Entrance
The early entrance to kindergarten program identifies exceptions to the state-mandated age of entry for children whose curriculum achievement level far exceeds the norm. The intent of the program is to identify highly able children whose birthdays missed the regular September 1 cut-off for kindergarten entrance by no more than 45 days (September 2nd-October 16th).
Not sure of your child's home school? Check the boundary maps or contact Student Services at 240-236-5323.
Revised Process for 2022-2023
- Review the video (5:24 minutes) that will describe Early Entrance to Kindergarten and explain the process for applying.
- Complete the online parent application. Submit the completed online parent application to the following email address: earlyentrance@fcps.org no later than 4PM on Tuesday, May 31, 2023.
- Once the Early Childhood Education Office receives the completed online parent application, we will contact you to schedule the assessment.
- Assessments will be held at FCPS Central Office 191 East Street Frederick, MD 21701.
- It is not necessary for children to study or prepare for the early entry assessment.
- The assessment will take approximately 20-30 minutes and will be administered by a trained examiner.
- The assessment is administered only 1 time to each child. Child cannot be retested for any reason.
- The assessment includes a variety of activities that measure each child’s ability in the following domains: Reading/Language Arts, Mathematical Thinking, Personal and Social Emotional Development.
Resources
- Maryland’s Guide to Early Childhood Pedagogy – Birth to Age 8
- Regulation 400-89 - Kindergarten Early Entrance
- Regulation 400-95 – Kindergarten Enrollment/Registration
- Regulation 500-10 Placement and Promotion of Students
- Policy 430 Age Requirements
- MD Early Learning Standards
- Developmental Milestones
- Ready @ Five - Parent tips, parent-child activities, school readiness resources, and other information is included in this site to support families in promoting school readiness.
- ReadyRosie - This is a FREE app for families with children from birth to 5 years old living in Frederick County. Sign up is easy and each week you will receive by text or email, brief videos modeling activities you can do with your child to encourage school readiness.