Full Day Kindergarten  Beginning with school year , the Swansea Public Schools will join many other districts in offering a full day kindergarten program  80 % of the 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth now offer full day kindergarten

Time On Learning  Half Day Program 2.5 hours / day x 180 days = 450 hours/ year  Full Day Program 6.5 hours/day x 180 days = 1170 hours/year  720 hours more per year taking part in a school based activity

Expectations  Academic  Social/ Emotional  Behavioral  Developmental

Academic  New Massachusetts Standards, adopted from the ‘Common Core’ standards, demand a higher level of cognition  Standards have been brought down a grade level anywhere from six months to one year  Problem solving, higher order thinking, and abstract reasoning skills have also been increased  More time for cooperative learning and technology

Social/ Emotional  Students will have more time to interact with peers  Students will have more time to learn and practice character education skills that will help them with social interactions  Emotional issues such as missing family, being away for the day, wanting to stay with parents, and the need to play all day, will be worked out before grade 1

Behavioral  Students will learn what it means to be a participant in a school environment  Students will learn the parameters of acceptable behavior and positive outcomes  Students will learn how to interact with teachers and follow agreed upon rules All before grade 1

Developmental  All Students develop at their own pace  A full day of kindergarten will allow for the school to identify strengths and weaknesses of the students. Once these traits are identified teachers will individualize instructions for the students  Struggling students will get more remediation help and supportive services that they require to become successful  Consolidated resources (Referral Process)

A Typical Day In Kindergarten  Kindergarten schedules will follow the grade 1 and 2 model  All students will receive daily instruction in literacy, math, writing  Each day students will receive specialized instruction in Art, Music, P.E./Health, Technology  Students will be afforded time to build social skills through lunch, recess, and center time

Literacy and Math Curriculum  Houghton Mifflin; Journeys Journeys is the newest edition of the literacy program aligned with the new Massachusetts Frameworks  Houghton Mifflin; Math Expressions

Family/ Parental Benefits  Less stress and difficulty to family in scheduling transportation and child care  Eliminates child transitions to different locations  More opportunity for parental involvement in the classroom and the school  Financial savings (day care and private kindergarten, etc.)