A. Yes, once you have submitted your online application, contact the Student Services Coordinator by email at studentservices@ausdk12.orgto make an appointment to submit the required documents.

A. If your child has an Individualized Education Plan, or you think that your child should be evaluated for special education, you should contact the Special Education Department by emailing Dr. Brian Biggs, Director of Special Education. The answer to your question will depend on individual circumstances. If you are transferring from another district, we ask that you share your child’s IEP when you apply for an interdistrict transfer. 

A. Children that turn 4 on or before September 1 of the school year enroll in Transitional Kindergarten. Children that turn 5 on or before September 1 of the school year enroll in Kindergarten. There are no exceptions.

A. Yes, we accept every Albany resident that is TK-eligible.

A. TK classes have a maximum of 20 students with 2 adults (1 teacher, 1 aide). Kindergarten classes will have a maximum of 24 students with 1 teacher.

A. We advise families to enroll all qualified children. Children develop very quickly at this age and a child who is clearly not ready in January may be ready in August. We acknowledge that this is a difficult question and it will depend on whether you think TK programming would be the best fit for your child. The presentation shared some ideas around readiness. It’s important to remember that TK students should be potty trained and there is no designated napping time. TK is not a required grade, therefore if you feel TK is not the right fit for your child you could choose to disenroll from TK.

1. TK is not a mandatory grade in CA, so you can choose to exit your child at any time.  You would complete an online exit form that is on our website under the Enrollment tab.

TK/K have recesses at the same time and are separate from the rest of the grades. This is true also for lunch time. The TK teachers, TK para educators, and Kinder teachers are on duty during recess.

You can prepare your child for kindergarten by reading to them regularly and encouraging curiosity about the world around them. If your child has been in preschool, they will have had the opportunity to develop social-emotional skills.
 

A. Yes

A. Yes. The exact number of classes at each school will depend on meeting enrollment needs.

A. No. Both TK and Kindergarten are one-year programs. If your child enrolls as a TK because they turn 4 on or before September 1, 2025, then your child will stay in TK for the entire school year. In the fall of 2026 your child would then go to Kindergarten. Students do not move from TK into K within the same school year.

A. Yes, please follow all the instructions for enrolling.

A. Yes, please enroll. We understand that some of the required immunizations are not available until the child's 4th birthday. Please provide records of the additional immunizations once your child has turned four and the immunizations are completed.

A. Yes, please follow all the instructions to enroll your new TK student. Our enrollment forms do include questions about older siblings. Yes, you will need to include current (within 45 days) residency documents with the enrollment forms.

A. If your child is already enrolled in TK in an Albany Unified school, you do not need to re-enroll. You will receive a Kindergarten School Preference Form. Please follow the instructions sent with the form.

A. You should have received a Kindergarten School Preference form recently. One of the questions on the survey asks about what school you prefer for Kindergarten. Another question asks about siblings. You will be able to list your first, second, and third choice of schools.  We do everything we can to place siblings together at the same school.

A. The majority of priority enrollment families get their first choice, but there is no guarantee. We do everything we can to place siblings together at the same school. Students with siblings already at a school are given priority for placement at that same school site. Our online enrollment forms include a section where you can note that they are siblings. We want to give families their first choice of school, but there are many important factors. We work hard to gender balance all classes, and to keep a very consistent class size across the district. We also must ensure that students who need special services will have them available at their school site. We realize that families are anxious to know their school and their teacher, but we must adhere to this process for the benefit of students. If you don’t get your first choice school, please know that the process used was thoughtful. There is no guarantee that you will get your first, or even your second choice school.

A. For the 2025–26 school year, we expect that school assignments will be announced in June 2025.

1. School assignment is based only on parent preference and we do not take proximity into account as part of our process.

A. Yes. You may use printouts of online statements, lease agreements, and medical records. It is important that all the paperwork be legible. Please bring in originals of your identification documents. If you are using a passport as identification, we will scan it in the office at your appointment.

A. Yes. The immunization record does not need to be signed.

A. We require immunization records to be translated. Take a closer look at your records, they may have the translation printed, most records from other countries usually have the English vaccinations printed on the document.

A. No, it is not. These are the required immunizations. In addition to immunizations, a tuberculosis risk assessment must be completed. 

A. Only one parent needs to provide documents.

A. No, it does not matter when in the priority window you enroll.

A. When families register their student, they indicate what languages are spoken at home. If  languages other than English are spoken, the student will be given an English Proficiency test at school to determine if they qualify as an Multi Language Learner. If so, the student will receive English Language Development support at school. If the initial proficiency test identifies them as English Proficient, the student would not qualify for additional language development support.

A. Thank you for asking! We love volunteers! You will need Volunteer I clearance, which must be renewed annually. More information on volunteering can be found here.

A. Before- and after-school care is not free and space is not guaranteed. AUSD’s Albany Children’s Center runs a small before- and after-care program called the “school-aged care program”. This is located at each elementary school and reduced rates are available for low-income families. AUSD also has a limited Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. All other before- and after-school care is provided by other entities and is entirely separate from the District. Each family is independently responsible for obtaining childcare for their children, if it is needed, outside of the normal school day. Many programs fill up quickly.

A. ACC School-Aged Care will begin taking applications in February 2026 and openings will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Check the Albany Children’s Center website for the opening day. You do not need to be pre-enrolled in AUSD to apply for before- and after-school care.

A. Yes, the only option offered is for five days a week of care, for a varying number of hours. The cost depends on the hours of care and if you qualify for a subsidy. Please see this page for details. 

A. AUSD is very space-constrained. This is limiting our ability to expand before- and after-school care.

A. You will need to use the Interdistrict Transfer process if you want to enroll in Albany schools, even if you have been attending preschool at the Albany Children’s Center. You must first obtain a release from your district of residence. Only when that release permit has been submitted to the AUSD Enrollment Office, and we have notified you that we have accepted your student, will you be able to enroll. We welcome out of district students when space allows and expect that many of our ACC families will be successful obtaining releases from their district of residence. If we accept your student, that means there is a spot available for them. Find out more at our Interdistrict Permit page.

A. At school transitions (5th grade to AMS, 8th grade to AHS, we evaluate for space at grade levels. When space exists, we aim to keep students on interdistrict permits. However, your district of residence may also have requirements for renewing your permit.

1. No, we do have a priority enrollment period for inter-district transfers. Students are prioritized for reasons like having a sibling in the district already. You can find a full list of the priorities on our website's inter-district transfer page. You will need to refer to your home district’s timeline for applying for a release. Students applying on an interdistrict release permit will be considered in early August.

1. You will be able to stay in your home district.  A release doesn’t mean you lose your spot there, just that you can apply for a different district.

1. Depending on the home district you may need to apply for a renewal. If you reside within Alameda County, a renewal is not required. If you are from West Contra Costa Unified you need to renew each year and receive approval from your home district.