Delaware rolls out a new school registration system ahead of kindergarten registration month in November.
The roll-out of the new system focused primarily on kindergarten registration, since that is commonly a family’s first introduction to the school registration process.
Authorized by Senate Bill 82, the online system aims to simplify that process.
And First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney says it should also help registration be more equitable.
“The online system is great for a couple of reasons: one, it’s standardized, it’s universal across the state,” she said. “With 19 districts plus charters we used to have a lot of different registration approaches. And it could be hard for people to get help. It could seem like inconsistent information if they were talking to more than one school or district.”
The new system provides 24/7 access to forms, provides forms in English, Spanish, and other language options, and automatically sets-up a common data system that enables sharing across districts, making it easier for families to move.
Diane Frentzel, Program Manager of the Delaware Readiness Teams, says they are looking for user feedback to make sure the system is working well.
“There's actually going to be a form that goes out after you do the registration where you will be able to submit something right away to the Department of Education,” Frentzel explained. “We also have many options where families can submit things to the readiness teams through our website, and we are going to have a number of in-person and virtual events where families can also give some live feedback if they’re not comfortable putting something in writing, and we together will submit all of that information to them.”
The Delaware Readiness Team is working with the state to provide registration resources as the system launches.
Information can be found at delawarereadinessteam.com.
