David Williams says he loves it each spring when a new cadre of kindergartners enlists at Prairie Park School.

That process will begin next week, when this year’s kindergarten roundup begins for Lawrence public schools.

“It’s a really exciting time,” said Williams, the school’s principal. “It’s designed to get parents into the school and start things off on the right foot.”

New York School will conduct the first kindergarten roundup March 19. Other schools stage their events between April 1 and May 11.

Though each school organizes the roundup differently, each has similar goals, Williams said. Schools want parents to feel comfortable and ask questions about the upcoming academic year. Meanwhile, schools want to collect information on students, including their likes and dislikes and immunization records.

“It’s a good opportunity for parents to learn about the curriculum and learn the kinds of things they’re able to do between now and the start of school, like reading together and building excitement, telling them about how much fun kindergarten will be and how great it is to go to school,” Williams said.

Stephanie Rorick, a kindergarten teacher at New York School, said the school would have a nursery rhyme theme to its roundup next week.

“The main objective is to invite parents into the school and see the building, teachers and staff they’ll be working with,” Rorick said. “We want them to have a positive first experience, and for their comfort level to be met. We try to make it warm, exciting and fun.”

While kindergartner John Paul Beckwith does some classroom filming, left, teacher Terry Tuckwin, right, works with a group of children on a spelling exercise at Woodlawn School. The first kindergarten roundup is March 19, with more following in early April. The roundup allows families of children who will be at least 5 years old on or before Aug. 31 to visit their kindergarten classrooms, meet with teachers and receive information about the enrollment process.