Sara Patterson - The Commercial Appeal -

There may be no group of students more devastated by a delayed school start than the 4,000-plus 4-year-olds entering prekindergarten this year in the Memphis City Schools system.

And Saturday, thousands of them toddled into Memphis Cook Convention Center for their orientation, a jamboree of face painting, balloon animals, carousels and moon bounces. Including the parents, grandparents and siblings at the event, Downtown easily saw 15,000 Memphians anticipating the new school term.

"We had parents here at 5:45 this morning. We had some here on June 23 instead of July -- it's been unbelievable," said Dr. Caroline Harvey, MCS pre-K director.

Harvey provided folks with information about curriculum and class size, but she wasn't able to tell the masses when to drop their children off for the first day of classes.

The MCS board is deadlocked with the City Council over funding for the 2011-12 academic year, and a threatened postponement has yet to be resolved.

The school board on Tuesday voted to delay the start of the academic year -- which had been slated for Aug. 8 -- until the council comes forth with $55 million, the amount the city has budgeted for schools from tax revenue. Later in the week, Mayor AC Wharton and MCS board president Martavius Jones announced a proposed deal to end the stalemate, but the full school board has yet to approve it.

"Parents have asked, and we told them their teacher would contact them about school's start," Harvey said. "We're still waiting for the word on when that will be."

Stephanie McKissick expressed her dissatisfaction with the highly publicized political squabbles in City Hall while waiting at the convention center with her son, Stephen Johnson, for the spinning cup ride.

"It's ridiculous. This should have been handled already," she said. "(The board) is using our kids as pawns to get the city's attention. It's hurtful to the parents who have made preparations, spent money on supplies."

McKissick taught her son his colors and shapes and how to write his full name to ready him for his first foray into the world of academia. If an agreement isn't reached in time for an Aug. 8 start, McKissick said she dreads breaking the news to him.

Yet uncertainty over a specific kick-off date did nothing to minimize this year's crowd, which Harvey said has exploded in size since the event's inception three years ago.

"It's wonderful that parents are so interested in early childhood education," she said. "Last year just blew my mind. It's getting bigger and bigger."

The MCS pre-K program is a school-readiness initiative to "combat the issue of children entering kindergarten inadequately prepared," according to the MCS website. Enrollment in pre-K classes jumped from 2,900 last year to 4,120 this year, according to Harvey.

Andrew Banks said his son has been begging to go to school ever since his older sister started two years ago. Ashton, 4, learned his numbers in Spanish this summer.

"I can't wait to see his face when we walk him into school on the first day," said Banks. "I hope it starts on time. He's ready."