Alachua County Public Schools are inviting parents of incoming kindergarteners to get an early look at their children's school at the Kindergarten Round-Up Wednesday.
"The primary purpose (for the Round-Up) is that it's always a good idea if the parents and the students can become familiar with the campus before school actually starts," said Jackie Johnson, spokeswoman for Alachua County Public Schools.
Parents will be able to register their children to begin kindergarten and tour the campuses of the district elementary schools.
Johnson said Kindergarten Round-Up allows the school district to know how many teachers to hire based on the number of students who will be attending school in the fall.
"If a child has some special needs, the parent can tell us and we can prepare early rather than having to wait until school has actually started," Johnson said.
Although parents are not required to register their children for school at the Round-Up, registration is encouraged to avoid the rush that occurs immediately before and after the first day of school in fall.
In order to register, parents will need to bring their child's birth certificate, proof of a physical exam performed in the last year, immunization records, a Social Security card and two proofs of residence.
Johnson encourages parents to attend even if they don't have all the documents needed to register so they can look at the campus and meet the staff.
Duval, Lake Forest, Metcalfe, Rawlings, Shell and Waldo Elementary Schools will start the Round-Up at 3 p.m. All other local elementary schools will begin the Round-Up at 2 p.m.
Because Alachua Elementary does not serve kindergarten students, it will not be involved in the Round-Up.
For more information on the Kindergarten Round-Up, visit the Alachua County School District website.
Leila Milgrim wrote this story online.