Pros and Cons of Full Day Kindergarten please

[allison443]

I totally agree! Wouldn't this make life a lot easier!

And if they started the half day at noon, even better!

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

I don't see the downside to full day kindergarten, and honestly didn't know that half day kindergarten was still an option for as many people as it apparently is. Aside from budgetary reasons for implementing a half day program, I don't see how an average child with a half day of kindergarten schooling can possibly be better positioned for first grade than a child coming from a full day program (I understand that some children have parents who take the educator role on themselves and therefore a half day is "fine", but for the average child, I sincerely doubt this is the case).

Our DD6 was begging to start kindergarten and was so excited to go that we would have had to drag her out of the classroom kicking and screaming if it was only a half day program. Of course, she had been enrolled in a full day Montessori program since she was 20 months old, so she was used to an academic setting and was more than ready for it socially, academically and emotionally. I also know that most of the children in her class did not come into kindergarten as well prepared as she was, and the full day program was critical for getting most of them up to speed and ready for first grade, so the full day program seems to have been successful across the spectrum.

 

[portocall]

Our school only does full day Kindergarten so that has been my only experience as a mother. Me and my brother and sisters all did the half day program. I found that kindergarten has replaced the first grade and socialization for the most part seems to happen in daycare these days. As a working mother I did appreciate not having additional daycare expenses that a half day program would have required. Academically, in the full day program they do seem to be more advanced. My youngest just finished Kindergarten last month and can read, write with pretty decent spelling and punctuation even if his words are too close together, counts money, adds and subtracts not to mention a whole lot more that used to wait until first grade. It can be taught sucessfully at an earlier age and in this time of funding based on performance it is no wonder that districts are rushing to start. Districts are looking at the schools that are top rated and the research. There are a limited amount of dollars out there and schools and districts are fighting to get them. I personally think that underfunding schools that struggle is a poor policy because they tend to be the ones that service the impoverished but that is me.

All that said, if I did have the option, and didn't have work obligations I would have chosen a half day program just to have the extra time with my kids at that age. As it is, I am lucky to work the same schedule as them so we spend holidays and summers together. Time is the most valuable thing since they really do grow up so quickly.

 

[camlace]

Con: 5 year old away from mother for 8 hours straight

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to have their child with them every waking moment. My 5 yo has been away from mommy AND daddy 10+ hours every day since she was 19 mos (and it was 8-10 hrs a day from 4-19 mos). Does it suck, yes...anything I can do about it, not really with the jobs my husband and I both have. If she were to have been in a halfday K class she would have lost her mind. With all the social time needed in K to simply learn how to follow rules, work in a group, etc there would be no time for academics in a 1/2 day program. As others have said, every kid is different and mine thrives on the routine and the variety that being in school for more than 2.5 hours provides her. I do agree though, that if a child has not been at least in a part time pre-k/pre-school program then going to full day K after being at home for 5 years would be very difficult.

 

[Disneyluvr]

I am a kindergarten teacher and I could not imagine getting everything I need to do done in 1/2 day!
That said, you could go to your state's education website and look at the standards that have to be taught. That would give you an idea of what all they have to learn.
And remember, not every child has a Beaver Cleaver home-life. Not all parents are able to be home with their child all day. not all children have the opportunity to go to pre-school, or have someone who works with them at home. Even if you live in a seemingly "good" area where you would suspect all homes were like yours that may not be the case.

oh and some of my students get on the bus at 6am, all students get to school by 7am and class starts at 7:45. We release students at 3:15. kinders have to turn 5 by Dec 31 so I do have 4 yr olds and they are all adjusted after a few weeks at most. (we do take a little nap in the afternoon though )
So if it takes a lot longer than that the student probably wouldn't be ready for a 1/2 day either and should wait another year.

Whatever you decide OP just remember that your child is gonna get your vibes on how to react to school, if you are upset about him being gone all day than he will be upset and have a harder time adjusting.

 

[JVL1018]

My district is starting full day K this upcoming year and people are thrilled.

I am sure they may learn more, but I don't think there will really be a jump in the test scores once the full day K kids start coming through the ranks.

I was very happy to still have my kids around(they both went to afternoon K 12:25-3:05), even though they turned 6 right in the beginning of their K year and had been in preschool for the 2 years prior, and would have been totally fine with being in school all day.

DD was reading chapter books in K, my son was barely sounding out words when he left K, but by the beginning of 2nd grade, I think they were both on par with each other.
They are both very good students, all As and I don't think full day K would have changed anything about their academic career thus far, other than perhaps my son may have read better when he was finished with Kindergarten..but he was reading like crazy by the end of 1st and I think that would have been the same, he just would have done it a few months earlier.

That said, it seems like a lot of people want full day K, and for working parents it is a huge help, so I'm all for it, now that I'm done with it. I do think it is a good thing for the town.

Also, I know that there is much more time for basic skills(math and reading help) for the children that need it when they are there all day vs 2.5 hours, so that will be a big help.

 

[trip]

Also not every kindergarten kid is 5 years old- for the first 3 months of kindergarten some of the kids (including mine) were 4 years old.

I had one that started at 4, Oct 26 birthday. She handled it just fine.

On the other hand, some students have been "red-shirted" and are already 6.

 

[FredinFL]

Pros, they are gone ALL DAY!

Cons, they won't go to bed until 9 due to naptime.

 

[portocall]

Pros, they are gone ALL DAY!

Cons, they won't go to bed until 9 due to naptime.

For me that was the PRO of starting Kindergarten. At my sitters house they took naps and it was 10 or 11 PM. In Kindergarten they start at 8 and finish at 3:30 with no nap. In the beginning of the year they do throw the cots down for 15 minutes but by Christmas naptime is gone. Love that he now goes to bed at a decent hour.

 

[tiggspring]

I am a stay at home mom whose kids never went to day care and was a little concerned whn my DD now 12 was the first class to have full day K. However my DD and two younger kids LOVED full day. My DD12 teachers said it gave them more time to play and be creative because they have to meet some reading/ math markers and with less time the entire day was devoted to that with no time for fun.

My friend DD6 entered K the same year as my youngest. My DD learned 100 reading words and had begun basic chapter books her last month of school. My friends DD had learned 25 words. BIG Difference. She struggled in first grade too.

My DD12 is now going into 7th grade and taking Algebra and reading way above grade level. my son tests high on state tests too. It realy gave them a headstart many other districts didnt have. I think that first grade would have been much harder if they hadn't had the head start. The bonus was they loved every minute of it.

 

[Sandy321]

it depends.

Our state regulates what must be in a kindergarten class. A full "kitchen" is one of those regulations, and yet, due to the other things that must be taught- kids only get to "see" the fridge, stove, and items, never do they get to actually "play" with them.

In daycare - wel, yes, playing can be a "center" - social skills are taught in daycare - not in kindergarten.

In our district when the Kindergarten teacher announced she cannot teach "how to tie shoes, phone numbers, or addresses" one must pause and think... when did it get to this point?

You have to have a Kitchen but the kids cannot "touch it"

 

[Buckalew11]

We had the option to chose between full day and half day and we chose 1/2 day.

I'm not a fan of full day K for my family. My niece did full day at another school at the same time and we'd compare notes. Half day at DD's school was able to do as much or more the full day school.

Good luck making your decision.

 

[tiggspring]

I had one that started at 4, Oct 26 birthday. She handled it just fine.

On the other hand, some students have been "red-shirted" and are already 6.

Yep we had to fight with our district to get our October babies in at 4. Both were ready and did fine. It was right for our kids.

I had nightmares or our 18yr old son in high school for a full year! Here at prom you have to get permission to leave early, can't park on campus etc. Can you imagine the conversation....Son you can get married, join the Marines but you cant leave the prom without permission Don't get me started on that same 18yr old son dating when all the girls are legaly underage

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Of course first grade teachers and working parents like it, it's free daycare and makes the teachers jobs easier. That doesn't make it an utter necessity. Half way through first grade they are all doing about the same either way. I thought offering it as an option was a great idea and was ticked off when they took away the option part and I had no choice but to send my youngest all day.

We pump more money into schools than ever before, we start kids younger, and keep them there longer. We are even talking about taking away summer vacation and making them go all year long. Yet somehow, none of it is making things "better." We always hear about how our system is "failing" our children. Maybe it's because what they need to learn cannot come from a classroom. Letting kids be home, unscheduled, running around the neighborhood, interacting without constant adult supervision, making friends, solving their own problems, hanging with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa while learning from them, free time, free thinking... that's what kids don't get anymore.

I'm as guilty of this as anyone. My kids are so scheduled, it's crazy! Not everything about "the good old days" is better than what our kids have, but this part is. No amount of money or hours in the classroom can duplicate it.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

We offer half day preschool for typically developing students and full day preschool for students with autism.

Our kindergarten programs are full day for all students. Full day kindergarten was out in place around 10 years ago. We are an underperforming school district with many children on ed plans, many ESL students, and huge truency issues. The data over the past few years has shown significant increases in both student attendance and reading skills since the full day kindergartens were put into place. For us, full day kindergarten has been a positive thing for our students. & the students seem to adjust to it very well.

That's just the town I work in though and the demographic might be far different than yours. Still, I cannot see how full day kindergarten could have a negative impact on a child.

The kindergartens in the district where I work also seem to be teaching curricula that is much more intensive than my own kindergarten was in the early 80's. I also love that ours teaches a structured social skills curricula, in addition to the academics.

I'm a 16 year old with Autism. I was diagnosed at almost 4. They did not offer full day pre-school when I was diagnosed. They had half day was when I was in Kindergarten and Pre-School.

 

[scrapquitler]

We only have half day kindergarten in my town, and it all boils down to money and space (but space is a money issue).

There are approximately 700 kindergarten students in my town any given year (assuming that there are about the same number of kids in K as in the high school graduating classes). That means if 25 kids are in each K class, there are 28 classes of K students.

Right now, those 28 classes of students can be housed in 14 classrooms and taught by 14 teachers (they each teach a morning class and an afternoon class). If those students are suddenly switched from half day to full day, the school district has to hire 14 extra teachers (which will cost $420K if each of them makes a starting salary of 30K). But more importantly, the school district would need to find an additional 14 empty classrooms for them to stay in all day long...and in my district, that would mean we'd have to build more classrooms.

At this point in time, our district is struggling financially to keep the programs and teachers that we already have. The idea of hiring all those extra teachers and finding all that extra classroom space is a daunting one. Not financially feasible right now.

 

[Sandy321]

Of course first grade teachers and working parents like it, it's free daycare and makes the teachers jobs easier. That doesn't make it an utter necessity. Half way through first grade they are all doing about the same either way. I thought offering it as an option was a great idea and was ticked off when they took away the option part and I had no choice but to send my youngest all day.

We pump more money into schools than ever before, we start kids younger, and keep them there longer. We are even talking about taking away summer vacation and making them go all year long. Yet somehow, none of it is making things "better." We always hear about how our system is "failing" our children. Maybe it's because what they need to learn cannot come from a classroom. Letting kids be home, unscheduled, running around the neighborhood, interacting without constant adult supervision, making friends, solving their own problems, hanging with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa while learning from them, free time, free thinking... that's what kids don't get anymore.

I'm as guilty of this as anyone. My kids are so scheduled, it's crazy! Not everything about "the good old days" is better than what our kids have, but this part is. No amount of money or hours in the classroom can duplicate it.

"it makes teachers day easier"

WTH?

seriously?

NOT my experience!

I'm a sub

I'm a mom - my son was in a full daycare - in a private daycare type situation - he learned so much because he was ready to learn.

In the school district I work - full kindergarten depends on WHO is teaching it and WHAT curriculum they are using.

 

[hereyago]

When DD12 was about to go into Kindergarten, she was accepted into a magnet school. well the regular school that was next to us about a month before school starting changed to full day kindergarten while the magnet school kindergarten stayed half day. I actually switched her because it was full day and it wasn't for child care because the school has an afterschool program.

She had all ready done half days with private pre school and public pre school. however, the elementary schools here have half days on Wednesdays, so i felt the other 4 days she could go full day.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

I'm at a private Catholic school and we have full Kindergarten but there is the option to do only a half day. The morning is all the "educational" stuff (reading, writing, math, etc) and the afternoon has more of the art projects, library, gym, etc.

For my daughter I chose half day (there were only three of us that did half with the other 45 in full) and they (the teachers and administration) kept telling us our kids would want full day with two weeks. Well, they never did and it was one of the best years being able to do things with my daughter when class was out. And letting her still have play dates and go to the park. The full day kindergarteners were all falling asleep in the cars when being picked up. She and the other girl are both 4.0 students that have just completed their Freshman year in High School, so it didn't hurt her any.

Two years later our school took away the half day option -- just in time for my second daughter. I put her in the public school because it still had the half day option. And you know what, I wasn't the only one. They brought back the half day option after realizing that they lost the tuition of 10 of us that year.

Like you, I did lots of research and wrote a letter to our school board. To be honest it was hard finding good info. Most articles tended to be opinion rather than fact. My approach was why did it have to be one or the other, our school had the perfect opportunity to provide a quality product to two different types of kids/families.

I work in our school now and often feel sorry for the Kindergarteners. They are so tired at the end of the day and have a hard time paying attention. I think 3.5 hours of QUALITY time is better than 7 hours of time. (our school goes from 8:00 - 3:00)

I get why there is a need for full day K. I just wish they could see the benefits of half day as well and offer both.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

"it makes teachers day easier"

WTH?

seriously?

NOT my experience!

I'm a sub

I'm a mom - my son was in a full daycare - in a private daycare type situation - he learned so much because he was ready to learn.

In the school district I work - full kindergarten depends on WHO is teaching it and WHAT curriculum they are using.

Yep. I don't say it to offend, sorry if it comes off that way. Someone else here said it, too. Paraphrasing "the real ones who benefit are the first gade teachers because the little ones are already used to a full day routine." I'm sure that's true. It makes sense. It still doesn't convince me it's necessary or even beneficial. I saw nothing in my younger son's experience compared to his older siblings (older by only a few years, same teacher and everything) to convince me all day was better than half.