In an effort to cut down on late enrollment, Niles Community Schools is offering a day dedicated to getting children registered for kindergarten and preschool next week.

Summer Kindergarten and Preschool Roundup will be held from 11 a.m. to noon and from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Northside Child Development Center, located at 2020 N. Fifth St., Niles.

Zech Hoyt, principal at Northside, is encouraging parents to enroll their children at that time in order to help the district properly staff classrooms.

“It is difficult to manage class sizes when there is late enrollment,” he said.

Last year, 52 students enrolled in kindergarten in late August, forcing the district to have class sizes larger than they would have liked.

Zech said they hired a teacher two days before the start of school just to meet demand.

“We’d like to avoid that if we can,” he said.

Children must be five years old on or before Sept. 1 to register for kindergarten or four years old on or before Sept. 1 to register for preschool programs.

Parents are required to bring the child’s birth certificate and records of immunizations, hearing and vision screenings.

Those who cannot attend may register at any of the district’s elementary school buildings when office staff returns Aug. 17.

While school officials are encouraging people to register early, there is no deadline for registering a child for kindergarten.