This article is part of a research project on the implementation of the nine-year elementary education in the Brazilian State of Parana. In this text, we give a descriptive summary of the confi guration of classes and the ages of the children enrolled in nineteen municipalities of the West of Paraná during the year 2010. The data, gathered through questionnaires sent to the schools, show that lowering the school starting age is the predominant goal of the implementation policy. The enrollment of children at the age of fi ve in elementary education is favored over enrollment in kindergarten.