One stop makes school enrollment easier

Parents new to the community now have a one-stop site to be welcomed and enroll their children in Grant County Schools.

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The school district opened a Welcome and Enrollment Center on Monday, Jan. 5, at Sherman Elementary School, 3987 Dixie Highway, Dry Ridge.

The goal of the center is to provide personal attention, guidance and information that relieves apprehensions for new families and lays the best possible foundation for a great start in school.

The center also will be available to provide building tours and will be equipped with information about the schools and community.

“My main concern was consistency,” said Grant County Schools Superintendent Michael Hibbett. “We needed it for enrollment purposes. Each school, not purposely, seemed to interpret the rules of enrollment differently and, to be frank, this was causing confusion for incoming students and their parents. Our district will benefit from eliminating this confusion.”

Enrollment will no longer take place at the individual schools.

If desired, enrollment packets may be picked up and completed in advance of the appointment.

Packets will be available at the Welcome Center, the Grant County Board of Education Office or any of the the Grant County Schools.

The idea for the center has been discussed since Grant County school board member Billie Cahill saw a presentation about a similar center at the Newport School District about four years ago at the Kentucky School Board Association conference.

“It was very welcoming for the community,” Cahill said. “It was a place where you could come to find out anything you needed to know about the new district you were coming to enroll in.”

Cahill has volunteered her time to work daily at the center.

In its first three days, about 20 students were enrolled into the district at the center.

“We’ve been very busy,” Cahill said. “A lot of people move over the Christmas holiday and a lot of people want to wait to move their kids at the end of one semester.”

Parents are asked to call the Welcome Center at 428-5500, Ext: 5518, to schedule an appointment to register their child.

The center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day school is in session.

“It’s not just about getting your child enrolled,” Cahill said. “It’s talking about what types of services and programs we offer also. It’s things for the parents and anything that involves children and how they can be connected. I hope it becomes a success and we can really promote the school district.”