Welcome to Kindergarten!

Starting kindergarten is a major milestone for children and their families. It marks the starting point of a thirteen year journey, and we are excited to help build the educational foundation for your child. Your child’s kindergarten year will be filled with fun, lots of learning, and growth – both academically and socially!

Full-Day Kindergarten

All primary and elementary schools within Chesapeake Public Schools offer full day kindergarten programs! School opening and closing times vary throughout our district, and our kindergarten program adheres to the district school calendar.

A kindergartner student uses scissors responsibly during a lesson in the classroom.

Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?

If your child meets all the requirements for kindergarten enrollment but you have questions on whether your student is ready – we have some resources to help.

clipart graphic of a checklist in a clipboard.

Kindergarten Readiness Skills Checklist

clipart graphic of a the state of Virginia in solid blue.

Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program

EVMS Ready, Set, Kindergarten

Requirements for Kindergarten Enrollment

You must be a current resident in Chesapeake. Use our School Zone Lookup Tool to verify the school zoned for your home address.
Your child must be 5 years old on or before September 30 of their kindergarten year.
Parent/guardian must present all enrollment documentation.
Once the initial online enrollment is complete, the child’s zoned school will contact the parent/guardian to schedule an evaluation.

Visit our Student Enrollment page to review required documentation for kindergarten enrollment.

Enrolling Your Child in Kindergarten

Kindergarten online registration for the 2024-2025 school year begins Monday, April 8, 2024.

Visit our student enrollment page to register your student online. While completing the online registration process for your kindergartner, please ensure that you:

Use your existing ParentVUE account. If you do not have a ParentVUE account, select CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT.

Student Enrollment & Attendance

Important Tip

When creating a new ParentVUE account, be sure to use the drop-down selector tools to enter your home address. For example – for your street address, type in the road name but select the road type (Drive, Lane, Road, etc.) using the drop-down selector tool!

Select the appropriate grade level. There are two options for kindergarten – ‘K’ and ‘KG’:
- Select KG if you are enrolling your child for the next school year
- Select K if you are enrolling your child for the school year currently in progress

Is your child currently enrolled in Preschool?

If your child is currently enrolled in a CPS Early Childhood SPED program, Reverse Mainstream, or the Chesapeake Preschool Initiative (CPI), you do not need to register them for kindergarten. However, parents are required to submit updated documents including-

Updated Student Health Physical
Updated Student Immunization Record
(if necessary) Renewal of SEDR with OSEA

Parents who successfully upload the required documents are notified in mid-August with teacher assignments via ParentVUE.

Child Care

Through the work of Chesapeake Thrives, the City of Chesapeake offers access to a few resources and services for families who need to secure before or after-school child care.

Call 1-866-KIDS-TLC to find open and available child care near you.
Visit Child Care Aware VA to discover child care options in Hampton Roads.
Visit Childcare VA for additional resources and information for parents.

Need assistance paying for child care?

Complete the CommonHelp application to see if you qualify for child care subsidy assistance.