The second round of kindergarten enrollment in Comune di Firenze (City of Florence) schools will commence on May 3 and last until June 30. For parents who did not have the chance to enroll their children during the first round, this is your opportunity to send your kid(s) off to school in September.
The enrollment process is quite simple and is carried out entirely online for scuole dell’infanzia comunali (municipal infant schools) only. (State schools oftentimes allow parents to fill out paper forms and enroll their children in person). In order to access the Comune di Firenze website, you must be in possession of SPID credentials, a tessera sanitaria elettronica (e-health card) or a carta d’identità elettronica (e-identity card). SPID credentials are easy to obtain—a visit to your local post office should do the trick. The application will also prompt you to insert your 2020 ISEE information, which provides an overview of your household’s earnings. However, do not worry if you did not file your ISEE this year (it isn’t mandatory anyway) or if you don’t have that information readily at hand. You will be able to complete your request for enrollment with or without your ISEE document. Once you have your SPID (and, optionally, your ISEE), you will be ready to go.
The application form is straightforward and user-friendly, and the information requested focuses on the personal information of the child you are trying to enroll, your household situation (including residency information), employment details, and your choice of school. Most schools give parents the possibility to request that their children begin school 30 minutes ahead of time and/or leave 30 minutes after the official end-time. The acceptance of this request, however, depends on the total number of requests per school as a minimum number of requests needs to be met in order for this service to take place.
The newly opened garden in borgo Allegri in memory of Uberto Ardovini, a Florentine member of the Democratic Party who passed away in April 2020.
You might also want to keep in mind that since this is already the second round of enrollment, some (or several) kindergartens might have already reached maximum capacity and might not be accepting additional applications at this time. Alternatively, they might place your child on a waitlist, which you are free to accept or decline once the rankings are published on the website in July.
You are able to select up to two schools in your application, and the Comune’s guidelines are quite clear on how they select children—it is all based on personal and residential information, which corresponds to a certain number of points. For instance, if the child you are trying to enroll has a sibling who attends the same school or school complex, they will have precedence over a child with the same residential situation who has no siblings attending that specific school.
Rankings for all enrollment requests will be published on the Comune di Firenze website in July. Children’s names will be left out for privacy, but you will be able to locate your child’s name and ranking by using the application code that is sent to you with the application confirmation email, as well as your child’s date of birth. If you child is accepted to your first or second choice, their enrollment is complete, pending the vaccine completion check that the Comune di Firenze carries out for all accepted children with the local ASL (health authority). If one or more obligatory vaccines is missing from your child’s record, the Comune’s staff will email you requesting proof of vaccination within a specific timeframe.
For those of you who don’t speak Italian or don’t feel comfortable filling out an enrollment form in Italian, worry not! The City of Florence has translated the application information document into many different languages and has uploaded these versions to the website. There’s also the possibility of speaking with a staff member in person by requesting an appointment with the Sportello Immigrazione, located in via Baracca 150p.
As a Florentine who often goes head-to-head with Italian bureaucracy and the intricate public system, I am happy to report that my experience with my children’s enrollment in scuole dell’infanzia comunali has been nothing but positive. I urge all parents who are considering enrolling their children in public communal schools to visit the Comune di Firenze website and browse through their didactical and pedagogical offerings. Don’t forget: the second round of the Comune di Firenze kindergarten enrollment will be open from May 3 to June 30!
