All Northern Lights elementary schools offer a full day of programming for Kindergarten students five days a week.
Northern Lights Public Schools' Kindergarten programming is based on new curriculum determined by Alberta Education and follows provincially-mandated instructional hours. The Kindergarten Program Statement learner expectations and learning areas remain relevant where new curriculum has not yet been implemented.
We enhance the mandated curriculum with a Kindergarten Extension program based on Flight: Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Curriculum Framework to provide students with a full-day Kindergarten experience.
The Kindergarten curriculum is taught by a certified teacher and follows Alberta Education’s new curriculum found on the new Learn Alberta website. The Extension program is provided by our Extension Educational Assistants (EA’s).
When is my child eligible for Kindergarten?
The age of entry is 5 years of age by December 31 of the school year you are enrolling in. So to start Kindergarten in September 2024, students will need to be 5 years of age by December 31, 2024. The age of entry is the same for all school divisions throughout Alberta.
Want to confirm when your child is eligible to start Kindergarten? Enter your child's date of birth in our Kindergarten eligibility calculator below:
Important Dates
| March 4, 2024 | Registration opens for existing Care to Learn Preschool Students |
| March 18, 2024 | Registration opens to all students. |
| Spring 2024 | Open Houses are held at all elementary school locations. |
| August 22, 2024 | Schools re-open and start to process registrations received over the summer. |
2024-2025 Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open!
Parents of our existing Care to Learn Preschool students were sent an email informing them that a form has been assigned to them in School Engage. Please follow the instructions for Care To Learn Preschool students below.
If your child is not currently enrolled in our preschool program, please follow the instructions for new Kindergarten students below once the 2024-2025 form is available.
Note: Please ensure you are filling out the form for the correct year. We often have registration for the current year running at the same time as registration for the upcoming school year. If you fill out the form for the incorrect year, you will be asked to log back in and fill out the correct form.
Parents who currently have a child enrolled in our Care to Learn Preschool program can register their child for 2024-2025 through the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
- You will need to use a computer (desktop or laptop) to log in to the Parent Portal and access the registration form in School Engage. You will not be able to access the forms using the Parent Portal app.
- If you do not already have a Parent Portal account set up, please contact your child's school and they will assist you.
- If you have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, please log in and click on School Engage in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
- Detailed instructions are included in our NLPS Registration Guide for Parents.
For tips on completing your registration form, please see the Tips for Completing Your Student Registration page.
Please note that if you require Out of School Care or Transportation for your child, registration for those services will not open until closer to the start of the new school year.
New to Northern Lights or returning to Northern Lights (no other children currently enrolled in our schools)
- Please register using School Engage. If your child was previously enrolled in NLPS, you will already have a SchoolEngage account. Please do not create a new account, use your email address to sign in.
- We recommend using a computer (desktop or laptop) to complete forms in School Engage. Forms can also be completed on a tablet, but are not mobile friendly and we do not recommend using a smartphone to complete forms.
- Detailed instructions for registering through School Engage are included in our NLPS Registration Guide for Parents.
If you already have other children enrolled in a Northern Lights school
- Please register your new kindergarten student by logging into your PowerSchool Parent Portal account and clicking on School Engage in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
- You will need to access the Parent Portal using a computer (desktop or laptop) in order to access registration forms. You will not be able to access the forms using the Parent Portal app.
- Detailed instructions are included in our NLPS Registration Guide for Parents.
Completing the Form
- Once you have accessed School Engage, please select the 2024-2025 K-12 Registration Form, fill everything out, and submit the form. If you require assistance with filling out the form, please contact your school.
- For tips on completing your registration form, please see the Tips for Completing Your Student Registration page.
- Your child’s proof of age and legal name (birth certificate or passport) and proof of your address are required to register your child in Kindergarten. If we do not receive documentation, we may not receive funding from Alberta Education for your child. The online registration form will allow you to upload that information (a photo or scan of the document is acceptable). If you plan experience difficulty in uploading the documentation, please bring it into your school and our administrative assistants will be happy to scan it and add it to your registration information.
Please note that if you require Out of School Care or Transportation for your child, registration for those services will not open until closer to the start of the new school year.
Birth Certificates
Your child’s proof of age and legal name and proof of your address are required to register your child in Kindergarten.
For proof of age and legal name, we require a birth certificate, passport or citizenship document. If you do not have a birth certificate and your child was born in Alberta, you can download a form HERE, fill it out and take it to the local registries office to order one.
You must provide an Alberta address to register for school and that address must be located within the boundaries served by the school you are attending. If you do not have an Alberta mailing address, you may be asked to provide a utility bill, rental agreement or other similar document as proof that you reside in Alberta.
If we do not receive this documentation, we may not receive funding from Alberta Education for your child. The online registration form will allow you to upload a picture or scan of your child's birth certificate, passport or citizenship documentation. If you experience difficulty in uploading the documentation, please bring it into your school and our administrative assistants will be happy to scan it and add it to your registration information.