Aptos Times asked the Pajaro Valley Unified School District superintendent’s office questions about the new Kinder (and transitional kindergarten) Roundup process, which this year shifted from the school site to the district office and created long waits for parents and children. Here are the answers.
What prompted the change in TK/K enrollment to be at the district office instead of school sites?
The purpose was to have a centralized registration process that ensured all families/students have equal access to all district programs and services.
This event was always held at the District Office and it was determined to add a portion of the registration process that is usually done at the school site to provide the extra time and capacity for incoming students and families to gather in a more informal way to connect and network instead of having to complete paperwork.
Who made that decision?
This was a joint decision among several departments who annually coordinate the “Kinder Roundup”.
Were parents consulted about the proposed change?
A formal survey with families was not given.
However, this change was offered based on comments expressed by families for a centralized location where the registration process can be completed.
Are PVUSD staff surprised that parents had to wait 3 hours?
Yes. We at PVUSD value and respect our families’ time; the long wait was not intentional. We noted which parts of the registration process take more time for families.
For the next registration sessions on April 15 and 16, we have made adjustments to the layout of the registration path and the amount of information we are collecting over the course of registration during kinder Roundup.
These adjustments will shorten the length of time it will take parents to go through a smoother process. We have also made adjustments for a quieter space for our student and parent interviews.
We will ask families to join us at the District Office on those days and avoid large lines by having a schedule by site between 7:30 am and 6 pm.
How many enrolled for TK/K under the new system?
PVUSD enrolled 356 families between the two days in March, which is about 30% of the Kinder students we registered last year between February 2023 and August 2023.
We anticipate matching the number during our registration dates on April 15 and April16. To accommodate families unable to attend the March or April Round-up dates, we will have a central registration office available for families where they will be able to register their children regardless of grade level.
This will allow families with children at different schools a one-stop registration instead of having to travel from site to site. This registration office will be open all through the summer allowing better registration access for families since our school offices close during the summer.
How does this enrollment compare to a year ago when school site sign-ups were available?
When Kinder Roundup registrations happen at the sites, there is an average of about 50% of the families who are able to attend the Kinder Roundup date.
The rest of the families would come in over the weeks following the site Round-Up date.
Can a better TK/K enrollment system be designed to meet the needs of families and of PVUSD staff?
We will fine-tune the centralized registration process so it is an easy, short process and a positive experience for the families we serve.