How to Register Your Child for Kindergarten in Toronto

The short answer

To register for kindergarten in Toronto, your child must turn four by December 31 of the year they start Junior Kindergarten, and only a parent or legal guardian can register them. Start online through the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) when registration opens in January for the following school year, then visit your home school in person with proof of age, two proofs of address, and proof of immunization. Registration continues through the school year, so a family arriving mid-year can still register.

Step 1: Check the age and the program

Ontario kindergarten is a two-year, full-day program for four- and five-year-olds, built around play-based learning. The age rules are fixed by the calendar year:

• Junior Kindergarten: your child must turn four by December 31 of the year they start, so a child starting in September 2027 must turn four by December 31, 2027.
• Senior Kindergarten: your child must turn five by December 31 of the year they start.

Classes with more than 15 students have both a teacher and a registered early childhood educator working together for the full school day. The program runs on four frames of learning — belonging and contributing, self-regulation and well-being, demonstrating literacy and mathematics behaviours, and problem solving and innovating — and children learn through play and inquiry rather than desk work. If you are unsure which grade your child should enter, contact the school principal before you register.

Step 2: Find your home school

Every Toronto address is assigned to a TDSB home school. Use the board's Find Your School tool with your home address to find it — that is the school where you register, unless you are applying out-of-area or for French Immersion (see below).

Two alternatives have their own timelines, and both are easy to miss:

• Early French Immersion begins in Junior Kindergarten, and families must apply in November through the central application process at the TDSB's Early French Immersion page. In the spring, only families who applied in November and accepted an offer of placement can validate the registration at the school where they accepted placement.
• Out-of-area admission — attending a school other than your home school — begins in January and is open for about five weeks. Many schools cannot take out-of-area students because of space limitations, so contact the school of your choice first, or check its status on the out-of-area admissions website. Alternative schools and elementary academies run their own process; contact them directly.

Step 3: Start the online registration

Begin the registration process through the TDSB's online registration system at the kindergarten registration page. For the 2026–27 school year, registration opened January 5, 2026. Once you complete the online portion you receive a confirmation email with next steps, and an email with a link to complete a Developmental History Form for your child online. The school will then contact you with instructions, including how and when to provide the documents.

Note the timing wrinkle: the TDSB's general FAQ describes English Kindergarten registration as beginning in February, while the school-year pages put the online opening in January. Treat January as the opening and check the current year's dates on the TDSB kindergarten page — the February wording reflects the in-school appointment season, not the online opening.

Step 4: Gather the documents

Bring these to the school — the TDSB is specific about what counts, and some common ID does not:

Proof of age — one of: birth certificate, Canadian passport, Canadian citizenship card or certificate, or baptismal record.

Proof of address — two documents, one from each category, showing the home address, with bills in the name of the legal parent or guardian and mailed to the registration address:

• Category A: property tax bill or MPAC Notice of Assessment; current mortgage statement; rental or lease agreement or deed; agreement of purchase and sale, including proof of purchase before the pupil attends.
• Category B: utility bill or e-bill (hydro, water, residential phone, cable, or internet); insurance policy (home, tenant, or auto); other official or government documents confirming residence, such as a CRA Notice of Assessment; or original correspondence from a government agency or legal clinic.

Not accepted as proof of address: a driver's licence, a health card, a credit card statement, or a cell phone bill or e-bill.

Proof of immunization — the card listing the needles your child has received. Report it online to Toronto Public Health. If you cannot report online, give the immunization information to the school and the school will mail a copy to Toronto Public Health. Toronto Public Health accepts and translates foreign immunization records. If you are requesting an exemption, call 416-392-1250.

Also bring proof of Canadian citizenship if applicable, and proof of custody if applicable. If your child was born outside Canada, verification of date of arrival is required — see the newcomers section below.

Step 5: Visit the school and finish the registration

You will still be required to visit the school to verify documentation, even after completing the online registration. Only a parent or legal guardian can register the child. At the visit, the school will also ask you to complete a Developmental History Form, which collects information about your child's interests and development so the teacher can plan a program that meets their needs.

The school will also ask for practical information to keep your child safe: the name your child is called if it differs from official documents, any allergies or medical concerns, current phone numbers for the parents or guardians and for the person picking your child up, the name and phone number of the child care provider, an emergency contact, the names of siblings attending the school, languages spoken at home, and any legal or personal circumstances that may affect your child. Keep this information current during the school year.

If your child has special education needs and is entering school for the first time, call your local school to set up an appointment with the principal and a representative from the TDSB's Special Education Department before registration, so supports can be planned for a successful transition.

Before- and after-school care

Kindergarten itself is a full school day, but the day does not have to end at the dismissal bell. Fee-based before- and after-school programs are run by independent third-party licensed child care operators, authorized recreational and skill-building programs, or directly by the TDSB as Extended Day Programs. The TDSB's Extended Day Programs run from 7:15 a.m. to the entry bell and from the dismissal bell to 6:00 p.m. Ask the school's office administrator or principal about availability — speak to them at registration, because spaces are not guaranteed.

If you are new to Canada or new to Toronto

Families who are permanent residents and refugee claimants may register directly at the school. All other families whose child was born outside Canada should visit the International Students and Admissions Office at 5050 Yonge Street (main floor) for a school admission letter, or call 416-395-8120.

Children living in the community without immigration status are entitled to admission to school under the TDSB's Students Without Legal Immigration Status policy. Information about them or their families will not be shared with immigration authorities. They must provide paperwork showing name, date of birth, home address, country of origin, and arrival date in Canada — a passport, birth certificate, or expired immigration documents, or an affidavit or signed letter of confirmation from a person of recognized standing in the Toronto community, such as a family doctor, community shelter director, or faith leader. Schools can register these students directly, but may refer them to the International Students and Admissions Office if the required verification documents are not available.

Figures and details not verified on the opened official pages

No fee figure appears in this guide because the TDSB pages opened for it publish no registration fee for public kindergarten. One timing detail is inconsistent across the board's own pages: the TDSB's general FAQ says English Kindergarten registration begins in February, while the 2026–27 school-year pages say registration opened January 5, 2026. This guide follows the school-year pages and tells you to confirm the current year's opening date on the TDSB kindergarten page.

Related guides

• How to start homeschooling in Canada — the alternative to classroom kindergarten: provincial rules for educating at home.
• How to get an OHIP health card in Ontario — the health-card companion: the OHIP registration newcomers need alongside school registration.
• How to start an apprenticeship in Ontario while still in high school — the later-years companion: Ontario's school-to-trades path.
• Trade schools in Toronto — the Toronto training companion: trade schools across the city for older students.

Sources

• Toronto District School Board, Kindergarten Frequently Asked Questions — age cut-offs, who can register, documents, French Immersion, newcomers, and before- and after-school programs.
• Toronto District School Board, Kindergarten Registration — the 2026–27 registration opening date and the online-then-in-person sequence.
• Ontario Ministry of Education, The Kindergarten Program 2016 — the two-year, full-day, play-based program and the four frames of learning; the Ontario Curriculum, Kindergarten, 2026 replaces it from the 2026–27 school year.
• City of Toronto, Student vaccines — reporting your child's immunization record to Toronto Public Health.