For parents of 4- and 5-year-olds across Whatcom County, it’s time to start thinking about the next big milestone: kindergarten. Enrollment opened countywide on Monday, March 6, for all children who will be 5 before Sept. 1.
Each year, districts post signs in front of schools and spread the news, working with community organizations and child care facilities to help families transition. Engagement programs spend time connecting with families who need additional support or have a language barrier to process paperwork and find medical records.
“It’s always just doing our best to reach those families and children that may not know that it’s time to register for kindergarten,” said Debbie Haney, assistant director of early learning and family engagement for Bellingham Public Schools.
This year is no different, except Whatcom County districts have launched a joint effort to get the word out. The districts are advertising together and sharing information in hopes of reaching more families.
“I hope that one thing that comes out of this common push is that we build more awareness and that we’re able to reach all those families for our spring events — whatever school district they’re involved in — and that everybody just feels even one or two steps more confident about sending their 5-year-old to school,” said Dana Smith, Bellingham’s assistant director of communications.
The school districts hope to establish relationships with families as soon as possible to prepare them and their children to take the next step.
Nationwide conversations have centered around how dropping birthrates will affect kindergarten enrollment. In the U.S., the birthrate has declined from 13 births per 1,000 in 2010 to 11 births per 1,000 women in 2021, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
The decline has impacted enrollment rates in many school districts across the country and in Washington state. The Seattle Times reported some districts, like Seattle Public Schools, are looking to close schools due to a drop in enrollment combined with budget shortfalls.
In Whatcom County, however, populations of children have increased over the last few years, in stride with the growth of newcomers settling in the area. Between 2015 and 2020, the Washington Office of Financial Management reported the population of children under 5 increased by 15%.
In Whatcom County public schools, new kindergartener counts have rebounded from pandemic lows. In the 2018–2019 school year, the districts reported a total of 2,079 kindergarteners. This school year, 2,266 were enrolled, according to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
All districts — except for Nooksack Valley and Blaine, which have declined the last few years — have seen jumps in kindergartener enrollment this school year. Bellingham increased from 779 students in the 2021-2022 school year to 983 this school year; Ferndale 400 to 446; and Lynden 235 to 317. Each year in Bellingham, kindergarteners have accounted for approximately 7% of the student body, except from 2020 to 2021, when the population dipped to 6% alongside a district-wide enrollment dip.
Washington state only expects the population of school-aged children to grow in Whatcom County. In 2020, the census recorded more than 11,000 children aged 4 or younger. By 2050, the Office of Financial Management expects 300,000 people will be living in the county, nearly 15,000 of whom will be 4 or younger.
Bellingham Public Schools has looked ahead and is currently working with an architect to design a 15th elementary school for the district, funded by a 2022 bond. The new school will eventually be built in the King Mountain neighborhood, an area that expects significant growth in coming years, Smith said.
The Bellingham district said they cannot predict how many students will enroll next year until August, but expect counts to continue to grow.
For information on how to enroll children in kindergarten, head to the school districts’ websites for more information.
