Welcome to kindergarten in the Anoka-Hennepin School District! In the district's kindergarten philosophy, we believe the following:

• Children are valuable and unique individuals, capable of learning.
• Children develop socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually with individual patterns of growth.
• Children learn best when home, school, and community work as a team.

Question regarding funding for all-day kindergarten
Question: I heard the legislature approved funding for all-day kindergarten. Will it start this fall in all Anoka-Hennepin schools? (Added 06/11/13)

Response: No. Not until next year. The Minnesota Legislature approved funding for all-day-every-day kindergarten beginning with the 2014-15 school year. The Anoka-Hennepin School District will begin planning for implementation in all 24 elementary schools in fall 2014.

For the coming 2013-14 school year, the school district will add free all-day-every-day kindergarten at two more schools, which will bring the total of schools with the program to 16 (Adams, Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy, Crooked Lake, Dayton, Eisenhower, Evergreen Park, Franklin, Hamilton, Hoover, Lincoln, Mississippi, Monroe, Morris Bye, Rum River, University Avenue and Wilson).

The district has selected schools with high percentages of students in poverty and/or large numbers of students receiving special education programs for all-day-every-day kindergarten.

Kindergarten Extra will be offered at these elementary sites in 2013-14: Andover, Johnsville, Madison, McKinley, Oxbow Creek, Ramsey and Sand Creek.

Kindergarten options
We are proud to offer families these options for kindergarten:

•   All-Day-Every-Other-Day Kindergarten (district provided)
•   All-Day-Every-Day Kindergarten (free all-day, every-day offered at limited sites via application)
•   Kindergarten Extra (fee-based program offering all-day, every-day at limited sites)
•   Adventures Plus All-Day-Every-Other-Day Kindergarten (high quality care option)

Read more about these options.

Kindergarten Extra
Contact Community Education at 763-506-1400 for more information. Download the 2013-14 Kindergarten Extra application.

Adventures Plus
Contact Adventures Plus at 763-506-1400 for more information or for a registration form.

Download the "Welcome to Kindergarten" PDF. Contact your neighborhood elementary for general kindergarten questions.

View our new promo series about kindergarten prep on YouTube!

New? See our FAQ on enrollment, kindergarten, etc.
If you are new to the Anoka-Hennepin School District you probably have many questions. Your first stop should be our Enrollment page or our FAQ "everything enrollment" item. This FAQ is packed with a ton of info on general kindergarten and enrollment information.

If you want to talk with someone, please contact the school that your child will attend. Use our online school finder via A-HConnect to find your child's school or download school addresses and phone numbers in PDF format. View elementary school website links.

Download other kindergarten related documents, like the kindergarten parent handbook, in the district's online Document Center. View more general district info in our FAQ section.

Kindergarten early entrance
A child must be five (5) years on or before Sept. 1 of the year in which he or she enrolls in kindergarten. Parents can apply for early entrance into kindergarten for children who are almost 5 years old.

Parents and guardians of children whose fifth birthdays fall between Sept. 2 and Oct. 31 can submit an application to have students considered for that year's kindergarten class instead of waiting until the next year.

The early entrance application was due May 10, 2013. Download the early entrance frequently asked questions PDF.