Full Day vs. Half Day Kindergarten Presented by: Sevin Jordan, Brittney Adams, Stephanie Kragness, & Brittany Humphrey

“So what is better, half-day kindergarten, full-day kindergarten, or alternate day kindergarten?" From a practical perspective - there is no single answer to the question. It depends on: What is happening the other part of the time. What is the purpose of kindergarten? The needs, resources and abilities of the parents. The needs and abilities of the child. What else is available in the community. Most importantly the quality of the kindergarten itself. Is not quality an even more important variable than quantity? Would you rather have your child attend a top quality half-day kindergarten or a mediocre full-day kindergarten? How about an awful half day program or a pretty good full day program? Does the answer change?

Disadvantages of Full Day Kindergarten SHORT-TERM EFFECTS: –“Fade out” LATER TESTS REMAIN FLAT: –4 th grade scores flat over decades PROBLEM IS MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOLS: –4 th grade = “A” to 8 th grade = “D” NOT NECESSARY: –Little evidence

Advantages of Full Day Kindergarten More time to focus on the curriculum –Academic Advantage Family Convince –An increase in the number of working parents. The number of mothers of children under six who work outside the home increased 34 percent from 1970 to In 1984, 48 percent of children under six had mothers in the labor force –An increase in the number of children with preschool or day care experience Since the mid-1970s most children have had some kind of preschool experience in Head Start, day care, private preschools, or in early childhood programs in the public schools. These experiences have provided children's first encounters with daily organized instructional and social activities before kindergarten.

Reading & Mathematics

Daily Subject Coverage

Basic Achievement Skills

School Breakdown

Funding Questions? How do states fund full-day kindergarten? –There are many ways that states can fund these programs: grants, outside sponsors, parents, etc… Are there grants to help fund full-day kindergarten? –Yes, there are grants for full-day kindergarten. Do districts benefit from full-day kindergarten, financially? –Some districts, such as Springfield School district, do not benefit financially because they have to double the money spent for: staff, educational assistances and classrooms.

Crunching the Numbers The average teacher in the Springfield school district makes 75k and the average assistance makes 10 to 12 dollars an hour. Without full-day kindergarten- 1.2 million dollars is spent on staff and assistances With full-day kindergarten- 2.4 million dollars is spent on staff and assistances

Final Thoughts on Funding If the money for having full-day kindergarten doubles for one district, imagine the rest of the districts around the US. Is there enough money for each district to maintain full-day kindergarten programs? Does it really benefit all students?

Sources Pros & Cons of Full Day Kindergarten: /0/NEWS&theme=NVLEG07 Personal interview: Roger Jordan (HR Springfield School District) Full-Day or Half-Day Kindergarten?Author: Dianne Rothenberg html