What information does CKA have regarding Full-Day and Half-Day Kindergarten?  Our district is planning to move to Full-Day, but is doing so with few of the needs covered that I feel are very important such as assistance in the classroom.  It distresses me to know my program may not serve my student’s needs as it currently does and am frustrated that the district is making plans that are not comprehensive for kindergarten students.

ANSWER

I will try my best to answer your email to CKA regarding Full-day K.  I now am a retired Kindergarten teacher.  During my teaching years, I worked only in a Traditional K program so can’t respond based on my experience.  I have read some of the research that comes to us about the extended programs and have had contact with teachers in some of those programs, but my information is only from reading and absorbing from others, not from my personal teaching.  I will give you a bit of the background to help explain.   

In 2006 CKA worked to help distribute the California Department of Education survey of Extended Day that I believe is published on their website and was featured in CKA’s newsletter, Take Five, Winter, 2008.  The term ‘Extended Day’ is what the CDE refers to for any program other than Traditional K.  It was an online survey of schools, completed by school and district administrators, with kindergarten enrollment in the 2005-06 school year.   Another source of information regarding Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States is the US Dept. of Education publication, by that title, available free from www.edpubs.org that has findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99.

Both of these documents show an increasing number of programs through the nation as well as this state, are extended day.  The US Dept of Ed. Research publication is very interesting and is from a large cross section of schools throughout the nation. That research does lean toward showing increased accomplishments from children in the Full-day programs.

I understand your frustration with the changes that are coming to your program and especially without the needed assistance.  Personally, I am torn between the memories of what a well-done Traditional K program is able to provide for students and the knowledge of what research is showing and what Full-day/Extended-day programs seem to offer students. The CKA Board held an internal study session in which the points noted below were identified as concerns for Full-day/Extended-day K.  Perhaps some of the thoughts on this list will serve as talking points for your efforts. I sincerely hope that your good teaching skills will overcome the challenges you face in your new situation.

Full Day Kindergarten

Traditional K – 200 minutes

Extended Day – 240 minutes

Full Day  - 1st – 3rd grade (more than 240 minutes). 

* Need at least three hour/day trained professional

* Max of 20 students

* Guided play – art

* Afternoon projects (cooking, science, dramatic)

* Different centers – uninterrupted 1-1 or 1-2

* Delay formal reading

* 100% parent communication and participation

* Parenting education

* ELD for parents

* Health services for children inc. dental, food services, finding vision and hearing

  problems EARLY

* Respect for every child’s gifts

* Time for choice in the kindergarten day

* Gradually introduced to the extended day

* Own room with adequate area/space including a sink

* A balanced academic curriculum – social, emotional, and physical

* Financial allotments for basic materials/manipulatives for the new classrooms

* A full day program should be implemented with teacher, parent, community and

  administrative input

* Appropriate assessments

Sincerely,

Carol Nicoli

Member CKA Board of Directors

Past-President