All-day Kindergarten?

[Disney Princess 6]

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[mudnuri]

Seems like I'm a minority.

I send DD7 to Kindergarten- at 4. her birthday is mid october, and I wanted her to go early. District cut-off is Sept 5th, but I lobbied for her to go early. She was tested and went early.

They have full day kindergarten here as well. She did exceptionally well, as did DD8 who went at 5, with a June birthday

I think you need to remember, that kindergarten NOW is not what kindergarten was back when we went. They no longer spend the day "playing"...its completely different. Heck- my DD's were reading at late 1st grade level at the end of kindergarten, because of the educational program in kindergarten. Dont get me wrong- they still play A LOT, but its a lot less than they ever did before.

I think all day kindergarten is a wonderful thing. oh- and here they go from 810 to 240

Brandy

 

[kasar]

I think full-day kindergarten should be mandatory.

I have to respectfully disagree. While it may be right for some families, it's not for all, mine included.

Heck- my DD's were reading at late 1st grade level at the end of kindergarten, because of the educational program in kindergarten.

So were mine but it had more to do with what we were able to do at home than anything they were able to do with 26 kids in the class. I miss those days, they go so fast. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[froggymomma]

I probably won't add anything new, but I just saw this thread.

My 5.5 DS started all day Kindergarten this year. His day is 9:10 am - 3:56 pm. This is the third year our district has offered this as an option. He gets phys ed 3x /wk, music 2x/wk, reading enrichment weekly and a lot of reinforcement of the concepts they are learning. He is thriving abd learning a lot.

Prior to this he was in pre-school 4 days/wk for about 8 hours/day. His pre-school had quiet time/nap time every afternoon.

He loves his K. I know he likes routine and your child will get that in either full day or half day programs. My school's other option is a 2 day week/3 day week full day K. A little confusing to me.

I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

 

[swilphil]

I think you will like all-day kindergarten. You can always go observe the school to see if it's a good fit for your kid. I have a friend who sends her kids to Catholic school. For Kindergarten, they had the choice of altering the schedule. So her son went full days 2 days a week, and half days 3 days a week.

I wish we had full day kindergarten in our public schools, but with all the budget cuts the state has had and the political mess over vouchers, they can't afford all-day Kindergarten. With all the testing that is being done in schools (including Kindergarten) I think the kids would be much less rushed if they had a full day. I also think it will be an easier transition to first grade if they're used to going all day.