For Sure Start and Pre-Kindergarten Programs: A child must be 4 years of age on or before September 1 to be eligible to attend the DoDEA Sure Start Program and Pre-Kindergarten Program.
For the DoDEA Kindergarten Program:
A child must be 5 years of age on or before September 1 to be eligible to attend kindergarten in DoDEA Schools.
For the DoDEA First Grade Program:
A child must be 6 years of age on or before September 1 or have completed an accredited kindergarten program to be eligible to attend first grade in DoDEA Schools.
Yes. DoDDS typically enrolls students at any time during the school year as many parents find themselves moving into the area after school begins.
No. Active duty military stationed overseas can enroll their children as space-available, tuition-free. This does not apply to military TDY overseas. Also, keep in mind that only the school principal can say if there is space-available for your child.
Yes. For active duty military and U.S. full-time DoD civilian employees stationed overseas, their children can be enrolled as space-available, tuition-free if they live in a different overseas location than the sponsor.
No. DoDDS does not have the authority to reduce or waive tuition for anyone, not even for one day.
All U.S. full-time DoD civilian employees, to include NAF employees, are entitled to space-required tuition-free enrollment for their dependent children. However this entitlement is not available to part-time employees, so they must pay tuition for their dependent children.
Generally DoDDS requires documentation to validate the sponsor’s status overseas (usually PCS orders) and to connect the child to the sponsor (usually with PCS orders listing the child by name as a dependent, or a birth certificate identifying the biological parents). Specific documentation requirements are based on the status of the sponsor, and can be found on the Registration Eligibility Handout that is available on the DoDDS-E Enrollment web page, or from the school registrar.