SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Kindergarten registration is open for many school districts, and by registering, the districts can be ready for your child to join them in the classroom. 28/22’s Colby Hughes explained how the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic may have impacted these new students and the importance of getting your child into schools early to set them up for success.

In Mrs. Dougherty’s class, students learned how to add, and that is only part of the milestones kids reach in kindergarten.

“One of the most important things is all of the social things they learn. So, they learn how to be good friends, how to communicate with each other and self-regulate with their emotions,” McNichols Educational Plaza Kindergarten Teacher Tricia Dougherty said.

Maria Vasquez has a son in pre-school at McNichols Educational Plaza, and she made sure her son is in those kindergarten classrooms.

Vasquez said, “I already completed the paperwork, I just have to go to the district and complete the other things that they need.”

Nonprofit highlights importance of ‘Raise the Region’ fundraiser

The kids in kindergarten in the 2025-2026 school year and those registered for the next school year were born during the COVID pandemic, and teachers said they are noticing some differences in those classes.

“We noticed for sure that there are definitely some speech issues that we didn’t see before, maybe attributable to the masks. We’re also finding some kids who definitely love to be together,” Dougherty explained.

“We’ve struggled with perhaps some emotional regulation, some boundaries, different things like that. What we see happening is that the supports that we have to help students and families are more and more,” William Prescott School Principal Shelly Egan added.

In the classroom is where those problems can be addressed.

“To be able to make sure that kids leave kindergarten to progress into first grade with everything they need to eventually be able to read, do math, and to do all the other subjects successfully is so very, very important,” Scranton School District Superintendent Dr. Erin Keating said.

“I’m really excited for him because he’s learning every single day,” Vasquez continued.

Parents within the Scranton School District area can find registration information online or call (570)-348-3400 and press option 1 to schedule an appointment or have questions answered about registration.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News.