Lake Washington School District residents with children five years old on or before August 31, 2014, will have an opportunity to register them for kindergarten beginning from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 at neighborhood schools.

The district offers two choices for kindergarten programs: half-day and all-day. The half-day program is offered to all students in the district and is free to parents. The all-day program is offered as space is available and is tuition-based.

All-day kindergarten costs money

The state of Washington pays for half-day kindergarten: parents of all-day kindergarten students pay for the other half of the day. Tuition for 2013-2014 was $3,500, but the fee is subject to change. The 2013-2014 tuition for those who qualify for a reduced fee was $1,260. It was $700 for those who qualify for free lunch. All fees are subject to change.

Parents interested in registering their child for all-day kindergarten will need to bring their checkbook to registration. They will be asked to pay for a month of kindergarten at the time of registration. That payment will be applied to the last month of kindergarten, in June. Arrangements can be made for automatic withdrawals from your bank account for monthly payments during the next school year.

Lottery

At times, the district may need to transport students to a school other than their neighborhood school due to enrollment levels. If that happens, a lottery will be held on February 12 to determine which students will be affected. In addition, if more than 22 children register for all-day kindergarten classes, a lottery will be held on Feb. 12 to determine the students in those classes. Due to the start of mid-winter break on Feb. 13, announcements of lottery results will not be made until Feb. 18.

Registration details

Parents will be able to register their children for kindergarten from Feb. 6 through the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. However, the later they register, the less likely they are to be able to get into an all-day kindergarten class and more likely to have their child assigned to a different school.

To register a child for kindergarten, parents should bring a proof of the child’s birth date such as a birth certificate or passport and the child’s health history, including current immunizations. Parents must also bring emergency contact information and proof of residency, such as an energy bill with a current address, lease agreement or mortgage statement.

For those interested in registering for all-day kindergarten, please bring a money order, check or cash as a deposit that will be put toward June 2015 tuition.

For more information, go to the district website’s “For Parents” section and click on “Student Registration,” then “Kindergarten Registration.” To determine which school is your neighborhood school, click on “District Map” or “School & Bus Finder,” or call the district transportation office at (425) 936-1120.