At what age should my child start kindergarten?
A child must be at least 5 years old to enter kindergarten or 6 years old to enter first grade. Compulsory school age, or the minimum age in which a child must be enrolled in and attend school, is age 6. A family can choose to wait until a child turns 6 before enrolling the child in kindergarten.
 

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Can a district charge for all-day kindergarten?
Yes. A district can charge tuition for all-day kindergarten but not for half-day kindergarten. If the district charges for all-day kindergarten, it must have a sliding fee scale for tuition costs based on family income.
 

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Can I withdraw my 5-year-old child from kindergarten?
Yes. A child’s parent or guardian, working with the child’s teacher and principal, can formally withdraw a child from kindergarten if the child is 5 years old. A 6-year-old cannot be withdrawn from kindergarten because, again, Ohio law says a child must be in school by age 6.
 

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Is all-day kindergarten required in Ohio?
No. Children must attend only half-day kindergarten (2.5 hours per day). Some school districts do offer all-day kindergarten, but if a family requests only half-day kindergarten for a child, the district must accommodate the family’s request.

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What is a “begindergarten,” “transitional kindergarten” or “young fives” program?

For a child who is old enough for kindergarten and whose district and family decide to place the child in a “begindergarten,” “transitional kindergarten” or “young fives” program, attending this program can count as kindergarten. The Ohio Department of Education recognizes only one kindergarten, so if a child spends a year in one of these programs followed by one year in kindergarten, the district must report the kindergarten year to the Ohio Department of Education as a retention — in other words, as if the child had spent two years in kindergarten. 
 
Some districts operate these programs as preschool programs. In this case, the child can attend the program and then attend kindergarten without being recorded as spending two years in kindergarten. Families should know what they are enrolling their children in by asking their school districts how they describe their programs to the Ohio Department of Education — as preschool programs or kindergarten programs. If a district reports such a program as kindergarten and your child attends the program and then attends kindergarten, your child will be recorded as having been retained one year.
 

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Is early entrance the same as acceleration?
Yes. Early entrance to kindergarten or first grade is considered a whole-grade acceleration. Whole-grade acceleration is when a school or district, through an evaluation process outlined in district policy, places a student in a higher grade than is typical for the student’s age. The purpose of whole-grade acceleration is to give the student access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities. To learn more about acceleration, see Academic Acceleration for Advanced Learners.
 

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How do I refer my child for early entrance?
Contact your local school district. The Ohio Department of Education recommends that each district follow its Academic Acceleration Policy for Advanced Learners to make decisions about early admission. For more information, see the Ohio Gifted Education Early Entrance Guide.
 

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Are the early entrance rules the same for all types of schools in Ohio?
All traditional public schools (city, local and exempted village school districts) must adopt acceleration policies, which are policies for advancing children to the next grade early. These include policies for granting students early entrance to school. In some cases, community (charter) schools might admit only children who are eligible by age. For more information, see the Charter School and Early Kindergarten Admission FAQ.
 

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If my child completed kindergarten, will he or she continue to first grade next school year?
The district where the child will attend first grade has the authority to ensure the child has successfully completed kindergarten before admitting the child to first grade. No district can admit a child to first grade who has not successfully completed kindergarten.
 

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What does “successfully completed” mean?
If your child has completed the required number of school hours and made appropriate progress, he or she will most likely continue to first grade the following school year. Schools must be open and provide instruction to students for at least 455 hours in the case of kindergarten students. If these students are attending all-day kindergarten, they receive at least 910 hours of instruction.
 

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