By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Families looking to get a jumpstart on registering students for kindergarten will have their first opportunity to do so in early April, the Alabaster City School System recently announced.

Alabaster’s Meadow View Elementary School and Creek View Elementary School will be hosting kindergarten pre-registration days on Tuesday, April 5, and Wednesday, April 6, to allow parents and guardians to take care of registration early.

The pre-registration sessions will be from noon-6 p.m. on April 5, and will be from 7-11 a.m. on April 6 at each school. Students should register at the elementary school they are zoned for, and must have been born on or before Sept. 2, 2011, to be eligible to start kindergarten during the 2016-2017 school year.

ACS Student Services Coordinator Dorann Tanner said the two dates are the first opportunities for upcoming kindergarteners to register, but said parents “should not stress” if they are unable to make the April dates.

Those who miss the pre-registration days can call the schools to schedule a make-up date, or can register for school over the summer. Students who pre-register will be able to participate in special events this school year, such as a kindergarten preview day this spring, Tanner said.

To register for kindergarten, parents or guardians must bring several forms and documents:

-An original current Alabama blue immunization card, which will be kept on file at the school.

-The child’s original birth certificate. The school will make a copy of the birth certificate to keep on file, and will return the original document.

-A parent photo ID or driver’s license.

-A Social Security card or tax document verifying the number. Those without a Social Security number or who choose not to provide one will have a number assigned to their child.

-Two current proofs of residence. Acceptable proofs of residence are power bill, water bill, gas bill, lease or purchase contract. Bills must show physical address, not a P.O. box, and must be in the parent or guardian’s name and dated within 30 days of enrollment.

-A divorce decree or court-ordered custody documents, in applicable.