Kindergarten
We are proud to serve as your family’s partner in education.
- STEP 1: Gather These Documents
- STEP 2: Attend the Information Event on 2/13/23 at 6 p.m.
- STEP 3: Online Enrollment Form
- Attend Kindergarten Orientation on May 12
STEP 1: Gather These Documents
Documents Required for Student Enrollment
This list is intended to help you through the enrollment process. In every case, originals are required. Where appropriate, copies will be made and originals returned.
- Child's Original/Certified Birth Certificate. If your child was not born in the United States, a valid passport is acceptable.
- Proof of vision and hearing screening, completed after age 3; submit statement from examining official. Michigan Law requires a vision and hearing screening for kindergarten entrance. Screening done in preschool by a health department technician or at a doctor’s office fulfills this requirement. Oakland County Health Division offers free vision and hearing screening for county residents. Call (248) 424-7070 for an appointment. Your child's pediatrician may have screened your child at a well visit, so that office is a great place to start.
- Parent/Guardian Identification (valid driver's license or picture identification card with district address).
- Official Immunization Record (use Immunization Checklist or submit copy of official record).
- Certified Copy of Appointment of Guardianship (if applicable).
Verification of Residency
One of the following documents is required to prove residency
- Recent Property Tax Statement
- Current Lease/Rental Agreement
- Closing Statement from a recently executed home purchase
AND
Any three of the following documents (with district mailing address) are required to prove residency. Mail should be no more than 60 days old and should be from three different sources. We do not accept cell phone bills, voter's registration, junk mail, or mail from Bloomfield Hills Schools.
- Employer / Tax Statements
- Credit Card or Bank Statements
- Car or Health Insurance
- Gas, electric, water or cable bills
- Government Agency
* Students who were previously enrolled but have not actively attended a Bloomfield Hills School within the last six months are considered "new" students.
STEP 2: Attend the Information Event on 2/13/23 at 6 p.m.
Monday, February 13, 2023
6 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills High School
Cynthia von Oeyen Center for Performing Arts
If your child will be five-years-old by September 1, 2023, it's time to start preparing for Kindergarten and Developmental Kindergarten. This session is an excellent opportunity for adults to learn about Kindergarten in Bloomfield Hills Schools.
Staff from our Learning Services team and our four elementary schools will review all of the Kindergarten basics - including what makes Kindergarten in Bloomfield Hills Schools a wonderful experience for your child. Learn the difference between Kindergarten and Developmental Kindergarten and which option will be right for your future Kindergarten student.
The event will be held in the Cynthia von Oeyen Center for Performing Arts located inside Bloomfield Hills High School starting at 6 p.m. on February 13.
STEP 3: Online Enrollment Form
- For students entering kindergarten and developmental kindergarten in the Fall 2023, the online enrollment is open now.
- This form will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
- Complete this form using a computer (a smartphone or tablet is not recommended).
- Please read the instructions carefully on the introduction page.
- If you have questions or are unclear while completing this form, please send an email to studentservices@bloomfield.org.
- If you'd like to select Developmental Kindergarten for your child, once you complete the Online Pre-enrollment, send an email to StudentServices@bloomfield.org and let us know your request.
Welcome to Bloomfield Hills Schools!
Attend Kindergarten Orientation on May 12
Kindergarten orientation will take place on May 12, 2023 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at each of our elementary schools. Families who are considering developmental kindergarten for their child should attend the orientation at their assigned neighborhood school, where you’ll learn about both classrooms. This is a time for parents to introduce their future kindergarten or developmental kindergarten student to their school. Parents will receive information about the school day and are welcomed into the broader elementary school community.
If your child will be 5-years-old by September 1, 2023, it's time for kindergarten
Kindergarten Overview - Class of 2036
- Students attend first grade in the following school year.
- Children who are five-years-old by September 1, 2023 are eligible for kindergarten.
- Full-day kindergarten offers students a rich curriculum with time to explore, create, socialize and learn.
- This program is held at Conant, Eastover, Lone Pine, and Way elementary schools.
- Transportation is provided for students within designated transportation areas.
Bloomfield Hills Schools kindergarten classrooms are child-centered, active learning environments. Students flourish when they are supported, engaged, empowered, and challenged. Teachers communicate regularly with families, individualizing the learning experience to meet each student’s needs. Our teachers inspire a passion for learning, the pride of accomplishment, and the joy of discovery. This special blend of intellectually stimulating learning and personal attention creates an ideal school experience.
English Language Arts
The kindergarten curriculum creates excitement about literacy. Reading to kindergarteners, and encouraging them to tell stories for someone to write down, teaches that print carries meaning and represents language. Carefully selected narratives help children discover the wealth of information and entertainment available to readers. Pre-reading activities, including learning letter names and sounds, recognizing common sight words and practicing beginning comprehension strategies builds a firm foundation for future literacy. Writing experiences are also an important part of the curriculum. Children learn to form upper and lower case letters and proper print format (left to right, top to bottom). They draw pictures and begin to write, sharing their stories and ideas with others. They later move into writing how-to books and persuasive writing.
Mathematics
The BHS mathematics curriculum is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This comprehensive curriculum is designed to help your child achieve the mathematical proficiency levels that will provide the foundation for further math courses. Though hands-on, engaging activities, students will become familiar with the following concepts in kindergarten:
- Numbers 1 to 100
- Understand addition as putting together and adding to
- Understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from
- Describe and compare measurable attributes
- Classify objects and count the number in each category
- Identify and describe shapes
- Analyze, compare, create and compose shapes
In the classroom, students and teachers will build a community in which they work together to communicate mathematically, by using a common language to solve problems, incorporating mathematical reasoning.
Science
Children figure out scientific concepts by investigating natural phenomena in a manner that encourages them to observe, reflect, explore, ask questions, and formulate in areas that are familiar to them. Topics include earth science (weather and the seasons, ecosystems); physical science (the physical properties of matter, how matter changes, energy, objects in motion); and life science (the five senses, life cycles of animals, heredity). Students are taught to use measurement tools and to illustrate data by constructing simple charts and graphs utilizing science and engineering practices.
Social Studies
The kindergarten social studies curriculum is designed to help children gain an increased awareness of themselves and the world through the lens of “Myself and Others.” Students will learn the foundation of what it means to be a historian by chronicling their own time (past, present, and future) and a geographer by utilizing maps to develop a geographic awareness of their world (home, school, and other relevant locations). As a preliminary foundation for the later study of government, children discuss appropriate rules for personal conduct. As community members, they participate in group activities and decision making. Kindergarten subjects are rarely taught in specified time blocks, but rather commingled so all learning is relevant and meaningful to students’ lives.
Enriching Opportunities
Several “specials” or “encore” classes are offered throughout the week. Art and music classes are scheduled each week. The arts help us understand our own lives and identify with the lives of others. The arts are a driver of innovative thinking needed to solve our world’s most pressing problems. Physical and health education instruction addresses the benefits of fitness and good nutrition; activities encourage fair play and good sportsmanship. Each of these “special” classes complement the kindergarten curriculum.
Media and digital literacy in kindergarten includes learning about the appropriate use of technology and the ethics surrounding such use.
Developmental Kindergarten - Class of 2037
- Students attend Kindergarten in the following school year.
- Children turning five-years-old between September 1 and December 1 may consider Developmental Kindergarten.
- Developmental Kindergarten offers students opportunities to grow and learn through a play-based curriculum built upon the academic standards for Kindergarten.
- Developmental Kindergarten is a full-day program. Transportation is provided for families residing within the school attendance areas. The location for the 2023-24 classrooms will be shared in Spring 2023.
- How do I register?
Registration will open for both of our kindergarten programs in February, 2023. The 3 steps for registration are noted above on this webpage.
Once you have completed the enrollment form and uploaded the documents, send an email to studentservices@bloomfield.org and let them know you'd like to select Developmental Kindergarten for your child.
- Who should attend our Developmental Kindergarten Program?
While birthdate is only one factor, students turning five-years-old between September 1 and December 1 may benefit most from an additional growth year while developing:
Confidence
Social skills
Oral language development
Motor skills
Attention span
Independence
School readiness
- How is Developmental Kindergarten different from Kindergarten?
Students in Developmental Kindergarten will utilize elements of the Kindergarten curriculum coupled with play-based experiences meant to reinforce social and academic school development. While individual needs are always taken into account, this program is not intended to build a student's readiness for first grade, but rather an additional year of growth with early kindergarten literacy, math, and social skills.
- How do I know if my child would benefit from Developmental Kindergarten?
Developmental Kindergarten is intended to provide an additional year of academic and social growth for those interested. Talking with your child’s preschool teacher or current care provider about their development may be helpful. Developmental Kindergarten students will advance to Kindergarten the following year.
- Is there a cost for Developmental Kindergarten?
There is no cost for Developmental Kindergarten.
- Who is eligible for Developmental Kindergarten?
Children must be 5-years-old no later than December 1, 2023, and students will advance to Kindergarten in the following school year.
- Where will Developmental Kindergarten be held?
The location of classrooms for the 2023-24 school year will be shared later this spring.
- What if I registered for Developmental Kindergarten, but my preferred location is not where the classrooms are scheduled. Can I switch my child to Kindergarten in my neighborhood elementary school?
Yes. If you have selected DK, but prefer your child attend kindergarten at your assigned school instead, please send an email to studentservices@bloomfield.org and let them know.
- If Developmental Kindergarten is not at my neighborhood elementary school, will transportation be provided?
No. The family will provide transportation.
- Are Enrichment classes (like music, art, physical education) part of the Developmental Kindergarten program?
Children will experience all of the core areas of instruction including art, media, music, and physical education.
- Is Developmental Kindergarten a full day or half day?
Developmental Kindergarten is a full school day and will follow the elementary calendar including bell times. (9:10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- What will the student to teacher ratio of the developmental kindergarten class(es) be? (i.e., Will they be any different from a traditional kindergarten class which has one teacher and .5 para?)
Our goal will be to have one teacher per 17 students and the same para educator allocation to support instruction that all kindergarten classrooms have.
- If the student has an IEP, who will be contacting the family and when?
The school principal or special education provider will reach out to families of students with IEPs within the first week of school.
Our Family Ambassadors are available to host you for a tour, answer your questions, and help you prepare. Connect with them by email at communications@bloomfield.org.
Kindergarten Information Event Presentation
- How do I Help my Child Prepare for Kindergarten?
- Tips for Emotionally Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten
- My child turns 5 after September 1 but before December 1 - are they eligible for kindergarten this year?
- Tips for the First Day of Kindergarten
- The Physical Demands of Kindergarten
- Academic Preparation Tips for Kindergarten
- Kindergarten Curriculum in Bloomfield Hills Schools
- What are the hours of the school day?
- What options are there for before-school and after-school care?
- What's for lunch?
- Is bus transportation available?
How do I Help my Child Prepare for Kindergarten?
We sat down with a group of kindergarten teachers from Bloomfield Hills Schools and asked them what they'd like families to know and do.
If you've been intimidated by other kindergarten checklists, you might be surprised by the first, and most important, checklist item. "Talk to your child about kindergarten," a teacher stated, "and reassure them that you'll be back," they added. The teacher said that, while some children come bounding into her classroom on the first day, others hold back, sometimes in tears. Families can help alleviate fears, answer questions, and create a positive first experience by talking to their children ahead of time.
All of the teachers we spoke with agreed that family preparation and participation is critical to successful emotional transitions. "We're going to talk about numbers and letters during the year," said a teacher, who emphasized the need for social preparedness over academic skills. "Coping skills, problem solving, getting along with others – those are all things that families can work on over the summer with their preschool children."
Tips for Emotionally Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten
- "Bring them to the playground when no one is here," shared a teacher. "They'll see it's not scary and feel more familiar with their surroundings when they come here on the first day."
- Help them learn how to be away from you and other familiar adults by leaving them in a positive daytime experience, such as summer camp and lessons. Bloomfield Hills Schools offers a variety of summer experiences for children of all ages. Learn more
- Learning to be social with strangers can be a struggle for some little ones. Meeting someone new and talking to them can be as easy as a trip to the local library, grocery store, or museum. You can also ask your child if they'd like to help you host a block party or join a playgroup. Social settings are important for children and teach them skills such as sharing and taking turns talking.
- Practice with your child ways of articulating what they need in a verbal way. "If a child taps on their glass, I'm not sure what they're asking me for," explained a teacher. In addition to knowing how to ask for things verbally, help teach your child how to politely get someone's attention.
- You can give your child a simple "test" of their attention span by reading an age-appropriate book to them. Can they sit next to you and listen to the entire book? "Ideally, they should be able to sit and listen to a book without touching the child next to them," said a teacher. "That's another important thing, learning to keep your hands to yourself," explained the teacher.
- >"Does your child know how to cope if something goes wrong?" asked a teacher. "If their juice tips over, will they watch it spill or will they react and clean it up? Some children may cry and not know how to cope with the lost juice. It's important that they learn how to react when bad things happen," explained the teacher.
My child turns 5 after September 1 but before December 1 - are they eligible for kindergarten this year?
Tips for the First Day of Kindergarten
The teachers challenged families to watch their child do something that they didn't think they could. You may not think your child can do something on their own, but the summer is a great time to challenge them, and yourself, to see if they can do it. A public restroom may not be the best place to try a solo potty experience for the first time, but opening a bottle of milk or putting a straw in a juice box may be worth a shot next time you're out to eat.
The Physical Demands of Kindergarten

- Fine motor skills are important for kindergarten and can be practiced in fun ways over the summer. Buttons, snaps, zippers, and other closures can be sewn onto inexpensive stuffed animals and practiced anywhere, even in the car. Some students don't learn how to tie their shoes until at the end of first grade, but it's helpful to everyone if your child comes to school in shoes they can put on and take off by themselves. To help strengthen fine motor skills, have your child play with playdough, dry beans, uncooked rice, and other sensory items.
- Along the same lines, help your child by packing their lunch in easy-to-open containers and teaching them how to zip and unzip bags. Packaging, whether it's a manufactured yogurt lid or as natural as a banana peel, can be tough for little hands. Encourage your child to open products on their own and practice frequently with their favorite lunch foods.
- Ask your child to pack their own backpack when you go for a trip to the park this summer. Learning to unzip the bag, put items inside, and zip everything closed is an important part of daily school life. Also review with your child which items belong to them and place their name in big letters on important items. In any given school year, there are bound to be quite a few princess folders, action figure pencils, and cartoon lunchboxes. Your child will feel more secure in knowing which items belong to them.
Once a child is emotionally and physically prepared for kindergarten, the academic items can be tackled. The Bloomfield Hills Schools team of teachers emphasized the increased academic rigor of kindergarten. "At the start of the year, we see as much as a two-year academic span in our class," said a teacher. Many of the skills students need are things that can be easily practiced at home in fun game-like activities.
Academic Preparation Tips for Kindergarten

- What's your name? It's important that your child know their first and last name. It's even better if they know how to write it. Letters can, and most likely will, be backward, upside down, and only somewhat legible. "What's important is that they know their name and they're trying to write it," said one of the teachers. You can help your child by playing various name games. Write their name in chalk on the sidewalk and then have them "paint" over each letter with water, until each letter is gone. "Refrigerator letter magnets are wonderful," said a teacher. "So are window markers and bathtub crayons, if you don't mind the mess."
- To help children write properly and legibly, help them hold a pencil the right way by playing grasp and drop games. Children can stand and hold a toothpick or pencil, dropping it into a container below (such as an empty water bottle). This pinching grasp will get them familiar with the way a pencil feels in their hand as they write.
- "Read to your child every day," said a teacher. "And ask them questions about the story," added another. A child who is questioned about the characters in the story, what they predict will happen next, etc. will be better prepared for the teacher to ask questions during class. The teachers also suggested pointing with a finger to the word you're reading as you read it.
- Counting objects one at a time, called one-to-one counting, can make for loads of summer fun. Collect summer flowers on a walk and then count them, one at a time, when you get home. Open an empty egg carton and write a number in the dish of each egg space, from one to twelve. Then, using dimes, buttons, or other small objects, fill each egg space according to the number inside. Since sorting objects is also important, you can sort sea shells in groups of small, medium, and large. You can also ask your child to help you sort the laundry by color, type, or household family member.
- The grocery store is a great place to practice numbers, sorting, letters, color, and order, not to mention patience, problem solving (if they're out of an item you need), and meeting new people. Give your child their own grocery list with a picture, name, and quantity of each item you need. Your child will have great fun checking off each item!
Kindergarten Curriculum in Bloomfield Hills Schools
Bloomfield Hills Schools kindergarten classrooms are child-centered, active learning environments. Students flourish when they are supported, engaged, empowered, and challenged. Teachers communicate regularly with families, individualizing the learning experience to meet each student’s needs. Our teachers inspire a passion for learning, the pride of accomplishment, and the joy of discovery. This special blend of intellectually stimulating learning and personal attention creates an ideal school experience.
English Language Arts
The kindergarten curriculum creates excitement about literacy. Reading to kindergarteners, and encouraging them to tell stories for someone to write down, teaches that print carries meaning and represents language. Carefully selected narratives help children discover the wealth of information and entertainment available to readers. Pre-reading activities, including learning letter names and sounds, recognizing common sight words and practicing beginning comprehension strategies builds a firm foundation for future literacy. Writing experiences are also an important part of the curriculum. Children learn to form upper and lower case letters and proper print format (left to right, top to bottom). They draw pictures and begin to write, sharing their stories and ideas with others. They later move into writing how-to books and persuasive writing.
Mathematics
The BHS mathematics curriculum is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This comprehensive curriculum is designed to help your child achieve the mathematical proficiency levels that will provide the foundation for further math courses. Though hands-on, engaging activities, students will become familiar with the following concepts in kindergarten:
- Numbers 1 to 100
- Understand addition as putting together and adding to
- Understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from
- Describe and compare measurable attributes
- Classify objects and count the number in each category Identify and describe shapes
- Analyze, compare, create and compose shapes
In the classroom, students and teachers will build a community in which they work together to communicate mathematically, by using a common language to solve problems, incorporating mathematical reasoning.
Science
Children figure out scientific concepts by investigating natural phenomena in a manner that encourages them to observe, reflect, explore, ask questions, and formulate in areas that are familiar to them. Topics include earth science (weather and the seasons, ecosystems); physical science (the physical properties of matter, how matter changes, energy, objects in motion); and life science (the five senses, life cycles of animals, heredity). Students are taught to use measurement tools and to illustrate data by constructing simple charts and graphs utilizing science and engineering practices.
Social Studies
The kindergarten social studies curriculum is designed to help children gain an increased awareness of themselves and the world through the lens of “Myself and Others.” Students will learn the foundation of what it means to be a historian by chronicling their own time (past, present, and future) and a geographer by utilizing maps to develop a geographic awareness of their world (home, school, and other relevant locations). As a preliminary foundation for the later study of government, children discuss appropriate rules for personal conduct. As community members, they participate in group activities and decision making. Kindergarten subjects are rarely taught in specified time blocks, but rather commingled so all learning is relevant and meaningful to students’ lives.
Enriching opportunities
Several “specials” or “encore” classes are offered throughout the week. Art and music classes are scheduled each week. The arts help us understand our own lives and identify with the lives of others. The arts are a driver of innovative thinking needed to solve our world’s most pressing problems. Physical and health education instruction addresses the benefits of fitness and good nutrition; activities encourage fair play and good sportsmanship. BHS offers Spanish instruction beginning in pre-kindergarten. At the kindergarten level the focus is developing an ear for other languages. Children learn greetings, basic nouns and verbs, colors, numbers and days of the week. Each of these “special” classes complement the kindergarten curriculum.
Media and digital literacy in kindergarten includes learning about the appropriate use of technology and the ethics surrounding such use.
What are the hours of the school day?
What options are there for before-school and after-school care?

Latchkey registration begins in July for the following school year.
Visit the Latchkey webpage for more details or email Latchkey@bloomfield.org.
What's for lunch?
School meals are planned to meet at least 1/3 of a student's recommended dietary allowance.
Each student meal includes a minimum of five required food items:
- Meat or meat alternate
- Fruit
- Vegetable
- Grains/bread
- Milk
A wide variety of foods are offered within each food group so that students can select a well-balanced meal!
Free or reduce priced meals are available for families who qualify.
Visit the Lunch webpage for more details.
Is bus transportation available?
Yes, Bloomfield Hills Schools offers bus transportation. It is the mission of the Transportation team at BHS to transport children safely, in mechanically sound vehicles, to and from school and school activities, with compassion, caring, and courtesy in a safe environment.
BHS has 58 buses that are excellently maintained by our mechanics. We have received excellent police inspections for our fleet for the past 30 years!
Visit the Transportation webpage for more details.
Our Schools
Conant Elementary
4100 West Quarton Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
Eastover Elementary School
1101 Westview Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
Lone Pine Elementary School
3100 Lone Pine Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48323
Way Elementary
765 West Long Lake Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302