by Joyce D. Sinclair

Created on: June 24, 2008

Traditionally, kindergarten was kept to a half-day, citing the reason being that kindergarten is a transition year to first grade, and that their intention spans don't last that long. (I know high school students who don't have that long of attention spans either.) But recent studies show that there are many benefits to full-day kindergarten, and yes, the children can handle it.

According to the Indiana Department of Education, students who attend full-day kindergarten generally show higher academic progress. Literacy, math and general learning skills are some of the skills where progress was shown. A 1997 study showed that students in full-day kindergarten programs showed students were more "actively engaged and more positive in their activities." Students' social skills also tended to be more developed than those who attended half-day programs.

Students who attended full-day kindergarten tended to have fewer students held back in the same grade. They also have fewer student entering Title I or other remediation/ special education (sometimes called "resource") classes. Standardized test scores also show that students who attended full-day kindergarten did better on their tests than did their half-day counterparts.

Half-day kindergarten also poses some problems for parents. For those families with older children attending school for the full-day, it's often difficult for families to find child care for a half-day. This also causes added expenses for families. Many schools will only provide one-way transportation, which creates added complications to getting students to school. There are actually students who are not able to attend kindergarten because of transportation issues. (In Indiana and perhaps other states, students are not required to attend kindergarten.) Although full-day kindergarten may not alleviate the need for after-school child care, it does limit the amount of time spent with a third caregiver.

Recently some schools in Indiana are considering moving their traditional 5-day half-day kindergarten to a full-day program, alternating three days a week with two days the following week. This is due to the high price of fuel for the busses, and it helps so that to not run the busses excessively.

Full-day kindergarten has many benefits for students who attend such programs. I hope to enroll my daughter in a full-day program. However, there are many school systems which do not offer full-day kindergarten. Several states have pushed for full-day kindergarten programs statewide in recent years. If you want to start your child off on the right foot, and ensure academic success throughout their educational career, then full-day kindergarten is the way to go.

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