For the first time the Buffalo Public School District is hitting the road to register Pre-K and Kindergarten students for next school year. As part of our Focus on Education reporting, WBFO'S Eileen Buckley traveled to the District's main registration center learning that over 800-students are already registered to attend city schools for the 2014-2015-school year.
"They are placed.They are registered. They are ready to go," said Mark Fraizer, acting director of Student Placement with Central Registration. Fraizer was referring to students who already registered for the next school year.
A community-outreach is underway to sign up future Buffalo school children. It's called 'March to Pre-K and Kindergarten'. Over the next two-weeks the Central Registration appears at strategic sites on the West, East and North Sides of the city looking to fill 900-plus seats in Pre-K.
Frazier tells WBFO News he realizes with much negativity surrounding failing city Schools -- some parents might hesitate to register their child.
"My perspective is there are wonderful things happening in the Buffalo Public School District," noted Fraizer. "There are very exciting early childhood programs that we have throughout the city. If you have any hesitation give Buffalo Public Schools a try."
Buffalo parents of young children formed a line inside Central Registration on Ash Street in Buffalo Tuesday armed with needed documents to register their child. Still some voiced concern of the quality of education.
"I am worried about the school district in general because I feel like we only have a handful of good schools," said Synamon Nash. She was registering her son for first grade, but remains skeptical about the district.
"I feel like the quality has declined over the years. I can't pinpoint like what it started, but it has declined. I graduated in 2007 and since then I see that it's declined in just a few short years," said Nash.
And although Nash is a graduate of the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, she said in the future she might consider a charter school. But Fraizer noted the school district has a waiting list. However, during an open enrollment period last Fall students seeking placement were not denied access to their school of choice.
"And students were then placed according to the selection that their parents made. At this point we have not placed any child into a school that their parent has not chosen," said Fraizer.
Research quoted by the Pew Charitable Trust states Pre-K impacts a child's future success in both school and life. But the agency also notes over 75-percent of children in the U-S who are ready for Pre-K have "no access" state programs.
The city District's "March to Pre-K and Kindergarten" effort is bringing access directly to parents. In the past, the District has been criticized for not reaching into the community to sign up students and using outdated methods to register. Now staffers are bringing computers into neighborhoods to help parents register their kids.