What do i need to enroll my child in preschool: Preschool Programs for Ages 3

Everything you need to know to enroll you child in Pre-K

Free Pre-K enrollment is now open throughout the Tulsa region for children who will be 4 by September 1.

“The Tulsa area offers some of the best free pre-K programs in the country,” said Kathy Seibold, ImpactTulsa executive director. “The skills learned during the pre-K year are building blocks for children’s success in kindergarten and throughout their educational career.”

Enrollment for pre-K at Tulsa area schools has already begun. Here’s what you need to enroll your child at most schools:

• Your child’s birth certificate
• Your child’s up-to-date immunization records
• A photo ID from the parent or guardian
• Proof of address

Slots are limited, so enroll today.  Are you ready to enroll? Visit prektulsa.com to get all the information you need about enrolling at each school district in the Tulsa area. The earlier you enroll, the better chance you have of getting a spot in a pre-K program at the school of your choice.

Enrolling in pre-K can change your child’s future!

Children who attend pre-K outperform children who do not, according to research conducted by local nonprofit ImpactTulsa. Students who attend pre-K are less likely to be retained, less likely to be chronically absent and more likely to enroll in gifted or honors programs than peers who do not.

“Entering school ready to learn can improve one’s chances of reaching middle class status by age 40 by about eight percentage points,” Seibold said. “Pre-K not only teaches children basic literacy and numeracy skills, it fosters social, teamwork, and communication skills. All of these are critical for students to enter kindergarten ready.”

“Pre-K offers experiences to develop competence in language, fine and gross motor skills, reasoning and socialization,” Seibold said. “Pre-K is a great first step in becoming a comfortable and successful student.”

Oklahoma is only one of three states in the country with universal pre-K, meaning pre-K is available and free to all Oklahoma children. However, ImpactTulsa reports one in three Tulsa-area 4-year-olds are currently not taking advantage of this top-quality, free educational opportunity.

“That means more than 3,000 students in Tulsa County alone are not taking advantage of district pre-K programs,” Seibold said. “It is ImpactTulsa’s goal to increase the number of students enrolled in pre-K.”

Their efforts are working: Overall enrollment in public pre-K programs in the Tulsa area has increased 3 percent from 69 percent to 72 percent since 2013.

“We’re seeing improvements in the number of 4-year-olds enrolled, which means we’ll see improvements across the board as these children get older,” Seibold said. “Please help your child reach the same success by enrolling them in pre-K as soon as they are old enough.”

Visit prektulsa.com today to learn how to best take advantage of Tulsa’s nationally recognized pre-K program, learn about the specific pre-K offerings in schools near you or read more about the benefits of pre-K education for your child.

How to Enroll a Child in a New School

For a lot of parents enrolling their child in school might feel a bit overwhelming. It is important that anyone who wishes to enroll their kid in school plans ahead to ensure they have all the necessary vital records in order. Depending on the school, it is possible that some of documents required to enroll your child may vary. Things that might influence this are whether the school is public of private.

The requirements will likely be different if you are enrolling your kid for the first time or if you are transferring them from another school. With that said, there are also certain specific documents that all parents are expected to present, regardless of the state where you live in.

As a parent, to successfully enroll your children in a public school in the respective district area you will need to present quite a few documents. Even before you begin the process, you may first be asked to complete an enrollment application to determine the district school where your child will need to go to.

One of the main documents you will have to get your child’s birth certificate as you will need to proof the age and identity of your child. Additionally you will need proof of residency, immunization records, and other medical records. Furthermore, some schools might ask for a portfolio that showcases your child’s skills. Charter schools will certainly ask for the portfolio.

What documents do you need to enroll your child in school?

In order to enroll your kid in a private school, you will need the same documents that are required at at public school. However, private schools will require teacher recommendations, an application, a formal placement assessment, and on occasion an interview with the parents and child.

The following are the most essential documents needed to enroll your kid at school:

• A general application form
• A certified copy of your child’s birth certificate
• Emergency contact details of the parents or guardians
• Proof of residency
• Proof of guardianship and or custody
• Record of immunizations

In case that you are not enrolling your kid for the first time, but you are transferring them to another school, you will need the above listed document as well as these:

• Teacher recommendations
• Former school records (grades)
• Individualized Education Program (IEP) records

Before going there, it is a good idea to contact the school in advance to inquiry if they require additional documents. If you don’t have your child’s birth certificate, you can easily obtain it by completing an online application and it will be sent to you by mail. Nonetheless, even though you can get your birth certificate online, bear in mind it can take up to 10 business days or more before you get it.

Vital records offices offer rush service, to speed up the process and could deliver your child’s certified copy between 2 to 3 business days.

How do I know which school district should I enroll my child in?

If your child is going to attend to a public school, they are assigned to a specific school district based on where the child lives. If you don’t know which school district you should enroll your kid in, you can call your city’s Student Assignment Office. As a parent it is essential that you know that by law, your child is required to go to the school designated by their district.

You will need to visit the central registration office for your school district. This office addresses everything that is related to student enrollment. Here you will obtain information and it is where all documents are handled for the enrollment of your child. In the case that you are transferring your kid, this is where you will need to present all the documents.

When enrolling your kid or kids for school, you’ll have to complete a student registration form. You will need to provide some basic details including their full name, date of birth, and current address.

If it is a school transfer, provide the name of previous schools they’ve attended. Whenever completing a registration form, be sure to check that all details as accurate. Please also keep in mind that students who will be attending a new high school may also have to go through a medical exam.

Related:How to request a school transfer for a child

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Kindergarten and school without vaccinations?

September 11, 2019

Tips

Pay attention to the date of publication of the material: the information may be out of date due to changes in legislation or law enforcement practice. nine0175

Would you like your child to be vaccinated or tested for TB? You have the right to refuse. But then he may be banned from attending an educational institution. It is also possible to be separated from the rest of the group of children for a while. In what cases does the law allow this and what should be done so that the child’s right to education is not violated?

Is it possible to refuse vaccinations?

The list of preventive vaccinations is established by the Order of the Ministry of Health dated March 21, 2014 No. 125n “On approval of the national calendar of preventive vaccinations and the calendar of preventive vaccinations for epidemic indications.” nine0175

Underage children can be vaccinated only with the consent of their parents or other legal representatives, and after the child reaches 15 years of age – with his consent. If parents do not want their child to take part in immunoprophylactic measures, they have the right to issue a written refusal. A teenager who has reached the age of 15 can do this on his own (Article 20 of the Federal Law of November 21, 2011 No. 323-FZ “On the Basics of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation”, Article 5 of the Federal Law of September 17, 1998, No. 157-FZ “On the immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases”).

Is it possible to refuse diagnostics for tuberculosis?

A set of measures for the early detection of tuberculosis as a disease that poses a danger to others includes periodic preventive medical examinations (clause 4, article 8 of the Federal Law of June 18, 2001 No. 77-FZ “On Preventing the Spread of Tuberculosis in the Russian Federation”). The procedure and terms for their implementation are approved by the Order of the Ministry of Health of March 21, 2017 No. 124n.
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During preventive examinations of children, immunodiagnosis (tuberculin diagnosis) is carried out using a tuberculosis allergen. It is carried out by staging an intradermal allergic test (Mantoux test). For children 15–17 years old, an x-ray fluorographic examination of the chest organs can be performed as a method of examination.

Immunodiagnostic tests for tuberculosis infection are not preventive vaccinations, since they only check the presence or absence of immunity to tuberculosis in a child, therefore, refuse them, referring to Art. 5 of the Law on Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases will not work. However, a necessary condition for conducting such examinations is that the parent or child, if he or she is 15 years of age, has given informed voluntary consent (Article 7 of the Law on the Prevention of the Spread of Tuberculosis), and refusal from the examination is possible on the basis of Art. 20 of the Law on the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens.
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If the parents are against vaccinations, can the child be banned from kindergarten or school?

For those who have not been vaccinated, restrictions have been established (part 2 of article 5 of the Law on Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases). Thus, the lack of preventive vaccinations for minors entails a temporary refusal to admit them to educational and health institutions. However, such refusal is allowed only in case of mass infectious diseases or the threat of epidemics.
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The criterion for the mass character of an infectious disease is determined by the territorial bodies of Rospotrebnadzor. An epidemic is registered on the basis of data on the incidence of an infectious disease in the population, if the degree of its prevalence significantly exceeds that usually recorded in a given territory for the same period. In addition, information about the spread of an infectious disease and the introduction of quarantine is brought to the attention of citizens, organizations, authorities and administrations of the Government or the administration of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation on the basis of an order from the territorial department of Rospotrebnadzor.
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Thus, if mass infectious diseases or the threat of an epidemic are not registered and sanitary and anti-epidemic measures are not taken on the territory of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, a refusal to admit or allow an unvaccinated child to visit educational and recreational institutions is illegal.

Will children be allowed into the kindergarten and school without a Mantu test?

For admission to an educational institution in case of refusal of the Mantoux test, a conclusion of a phthisiatrician about the absence of tuberculosis in the child will be required (clause 5.7 of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Rules SP 3.1.2. October 2013 No. 60).
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The phthisiatrician can prescribe examination methods alternative to the Mantoux test: diagnostic tests QuantiFERON-TB Gold, T-SPOT.TB, requiring blood sampling from a vein, fluorographic examination. This is indicated by the Clinical Guidelines “Detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children entering and studying in educational institutions” (are advisory in nature until January 1, 2022).

This provision corresponds to the position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation: compliance with sanitary rules is mandatory. The requirement to admit children who have not been diagnosed with tuberculin to a children’s organization only if there is a conclusion from a phthisiatrician about the absence of the disease is aimed at preventing the spread of tuberculosis and respecting the rights of other citizens to health protection and a favorable living environment. nine0213 1

Thus, in case of refusal to conduct a Mantoux test and the absence of a conclusion from a phthisiatrician, the child may not be allowed into an educational institution.

Would a ban on kindergarten or school be considered a violation of a child’s right to an education?

Refusal to admit a child to an educational institution or his separation from the examined children does not indicate a violation of his right to education. Let’s explain…
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Ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population is one of the main conditions for the implementation of the constitutional rights of citizens to health protection and a favorable environment. In this regard, citizens are obliged to comply with the requirements of sanitary legislation, take care of the health, hygienic upbringing and education of their children, and not carry out actions that entail a violation of the rights of other citizens to health protection and a favorable living environment.
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At the same time, Russia guarantees the general availability and free of charge of preschool, primary, basic and secondary general education. The competence of educational organizations includes the creation of conditions necessary for the protection and promotion of the health of students and employees of an educational organization (clause 15, article 28 of the Federal Law of December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”). In addition, in recreation and recreation organizations for children, educational organizations must comply with the requirements of sanitary legislation and take measures to prevent diseases, preserve and improve the health of pupils and students.
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The law provides for various forms of education: full-time, part-time, part-time, family education and self-education (Article 17 of the Law on Education). If the child has not been tested for tuberculosis infection, he can be enrolled in an educational organization with the subsequent choice of forms and methods of the educational process, excluding visiting a healthy children’s team. And this will not contradict the current legislation: as the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation pointed out, in this way the right to general education of children who have not passed immunodiagnostics will be ensured, while respecting the right of each student to health care. nine0213 2

It should be borne in mind that in the case of mass vaccination to prevent infection of an unvaccinated child, it is allowed to separate him from the rest of the group of children for a certain period. Thus, when vaccinated against polio, unvaccinated children are separated from those vaccinated for 60 days (Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated July 28, 2011 No. 107 “On Approval of SP 3.1.2951-11 “Poliomyelitis Prevention””). At the same time, the heads of educational institutions are obliged to organize the separate stay of such children within the walls of the educational institution.
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A similar conclusion is confirmed by judicial practice. So, in 2017, the Arkhangelsk Regional Court came to the conclusion that the actions of the leadership of a preschool educational institution to remove an unvaccinated child from visiting an early development group in connection with the routine immunization of pupils against poliomyelitis were justified. The Court pointed out that such a restriction on the rights of the child is not discriminatory, since it is aimed at ensuring the right to health protection and is carried out in the ways established by law, including by separating vaccinated children from those not participating in immunization. nine0213 3

What if an unvaccinated child is not allowed to go to kindergarten or school without legal reason?

Point out to the head of the educational institution the voluntariness of immunoprophylactic and diagnostic measures and the inadmissibility of refusing to admit a child to a kindergarten or school in the absence of circumstances provided for by law. In order to protect violated rights, it is possible to apply to the prosecutor’s office, Rospotrebnadzor, Rosobrnadzor, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights and the court.
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Which side do the courts take in disputes between “anti-vaccine” parents and educational organizations?

Judicial practice on the issue of denying unvaccinated children admission to educational institutions is extremely controversial. Some courts point out that establishing the dependence of attending a kindergarten on immunoprophylaxis is contrary to the provisions of the law, since the decision to take preventive measures is voluntary, and the law does not provide for compulsory measures to use vaccinations, except in cases of the threat of mass infectious diseases and epidemics. nine0213 4

At the same time, there are also directly opposite judicial decisions. They recognize as justified the temporary suspension of a child from attending kindergarten due to the lack of preventive vaccinations.

In cases of refusal to conduct tuberculin diagnostics and the absence of data on the additional examination of the child, the conclusions of the phthisiatrician, the courts usually indicate that the non-admission of the child to a preschool educational institution is legal and necessary to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, as well as to respect the rights of citizens to health protection and favorable living environment. nine0213 5

However, there are also opposite positions. Thus, the Butyrsky District Court of Moscow declared illegal and canceled the order of the head of the preschool educational institution not to allow the child to enter the kindergarten due to the lack of a certificate from a TB doctor. The court considered that the child’s right to education was violated. ⁶

The Yaroslavl Regional Court also found it illegal not to allow the child to kindergarten due to the refusal to conduct tuberculin diagnostics and the lack of a certificate from a phthisiatrician. The court noted that the certificate is not a mandatory document for the admission of the child to the kindergarten. nine0213 7

¹ Decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated February 17, 2015 No. AKPI14-1454.

² Decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 18, 2019 No. AKPI19-115, Appellate ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of July 25, 2019 No.