General

Central Day School admits students of any religion, race, color and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. CDS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color and national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, athletic and other school-administered programs. It is recommended a child meet the birthday requirement of turning 5 years old on or before July 1st before entering kindergarten.  Special consideration may be given to children with later birthdays who meet all other entrance requirements. All new applicants for grades 1 - 8 will be evaluated based on entrance test scores, previous achievement test scores, previous report card and conduct grades, a personal interview and a recommendation from the previous school. Central Day School reserves the right to refuse admission to any student it determines would benefit more from another school setting based on educational, emotional, behavioral or physical needs.

Kindergarten

Research indicates there are several reliable predictors of a child’s success in kindergarten. These include areas of readiness comprising cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and behavioral skills. Demonstrated readiness in these areas of development, coupled with parental involvement, provide the building blocks for a strong learning foundation. Based on this philosophy, we evaluate all applicants for kindergarten in these areas to ensure appropriate preparation for the challenging Central Day School kindergarten program. Acceptance is subject to a clear demonstration of the kindergarten readiness skills and agreement that the program provides an “optimal fit” to meet the individual child’s needs based on the curriculum objectives. Because age is another factor in developmental readiness, it is recommended that a child meet the birthday requirement of turning 5 years old on or before July 1st before beginning kindergarten. Special consideration may be given to children with later birthdays who meet all other entrance requirements. 

In order to ensure each child the opportunity to excel, Central Day School’s procedure for acceptance for kindergarten applicants will be as follows:

 1. Parents must complete and submit an application to the Admissions Office.

 2. An applicant must successfully complete a kindergarten readiness assessment based on cognitive, physical, social, emotional and behavioral skills.

 3. CDS must receive a satisfactory recommendation from the applicant's preschool.

 4. The applicant and applicant's parents must complete an interview with the school principal or his representative.

 5. A child must meet the recommended birthday requirement of turning 5 years old on or before July 1st. Special consideration may be given to an applicant with a later birthday who meets all other entrance requirements.

Kindergarten Applicant Expectations

 Children entering Central Day School kindergarten should:

         1. Exhibit self-control.

        2. Exhibit respect for authority, other children, and themselves.

        3. Write his/her first name.

        4. Recognize upper and lower case alphabet.

        5. Recognize and count numbers to 10.

        6. Possess ability to use pencil, crayons, and scissors correctly.

        7. Be able to follow simple directions.

        8. Be able to focus on a project, lesson, etc. for 15 minutes.

        9. Trace, draw, color and cut out simple shapes.

        10. Demonstrate age appropriate gross and fine motor skills.

        11. Demonstrate a readiness and willingness to learn.