Parents camp out at Royal Vale to sign up for kindergarten

Eager parents lined up as early as 5 a.m. on Sunday hoping to sign up for a spot in one of Montreal's most sought-after kindergarten programs. 

Registration for the 2016-2017 year at Royal Vale School doesn't start until Monday morning at about 8:15 a.m., but parents were outside the school early Sunday, ready to spend the day — and the night — just to get a spot.

Royal Vale is an English school in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. It's a public school with a special focus on math and science.

Unlike most public schools, Royal Vale doesn't have district limitations, which means it's a first-come, first-served scenario. 

25 spots open for new families

For the 2016-2017 kindergarten program, Royal Vale has 25 spots open for new families.

To maintain order, parents posted a list outside the school and filled in the names of those who showed up on Sunday.

While the competition for a spot is friendly, there's no spot-saving allowed — keeping your spot on the list means sleeping overnight outside the school. 

Parents desperate to get their children into the program came armed with warm gear including sleeping bags and tents.

Luckily for them, Sunday turned out to be a relatively balmy January day, and the temperature was forecasted to stay above freezing overnight, with the possibility of some rain.