All Day Kindergarten

Hi L.,

My son goes to the all day kindergarten and he absolutely loves it..and so do I...My son has learned to read and learn addition and subtraction..counting and having fun..they go outside if its nice..My son goes to bed around 7 everynight because he is tired from a long day..

My youngest goes to all day K in SAD17. He loves it! Because of "No child left behind", Kindergarteners are learning more than ever, including writing (and I mean more than just their names) and reading. Even math!

I haven't seen a downside yet.

By the way, my older boy went 1/2 K. While he was an excellent reader by the end of the year, my younger boy is likely to be even better.

So enjoy your time off. You earned it. This is a great time to catch up on your own reading. And I mean books without pictures. :)

Good luck,
M.

My almost 4-year-old son has been going to an all-day Preschool since September, and he loves it! I wanted to get him into a preschool program because we live in a pretty isolated area and he doesn't really get to spend much time with other kids otherwise.

Before I enrolled him, I set up a meeting with the lead teacher of the program and asked her a million questions. What is your typical day like? Is there a naptime? How do you handle the kids who don't nap? (my son is NOT a napper). How is inappropriate/bad behaviour addressed? How often do the kids get to play outdoors? What kind of activities do you do? etc... I felt really good about the program after speaking so extensively with the teacher, so I was happy to proceed with enrolling him.

I think that is really the key--if you feel good about the program and feel like it is a good fit for your child, then go for it! If it doesn't feel right, then maybe it isn't the right place to go. (FYI--my son has truely thrived at his preschool! Every morning he wakes up at the crack of dawn and excitedly asks "Am I going to school today, Mom?!")

I hope that you find something that works for you and your son!

Ironically enough, I have just the opposite question. My daughter has been in daycare and now preschool since she was 3 months old. She is used be being in a program for 9 hours a day. A year from now she will be going to kindergarten and in our town it's 1/2 day which is really about 2 1/2 hours. I don't see how they can get anything done in that amount of time. I see all the things they do at preschool and it's wonderful.

I wouldn't worry at all. I think a full day will be great and they'll give you all that info.

H.

My son goes now to full day K. They have the same curriculum as the half day K. During the second half of the day the teachers reinforce what was learned during the first half of the day. They do not have a different curriculum then the half day Kindergarteners. My son is tired at the end of the day but he needs the extra reinforcement with his lessons. Hope this helps.

Hi L.,
My daughter started full day kindergarten in september of 2006. she absolutely loves it. It was a change for her..but once we got her into a school routine she was fine. they have plenty for them to do...they learn sooo much too. The only thing was that she was tired..but once she got used to the days..she was fine...good luck..you will get soo much done with your son in school. take care!!

My daughter went to all day kindergarten last year and I loved it. Because it's all day the teachers can take their time teaaching the kids and they get more one on one time. With 1/2 day kindergarten by the time they settle the kids down and get through the morning routine they only get about an hour of actual learning time. Plus I know when I was in kindergarten it was pretty laid back and for the most part all you learned was letters, numbers, and how to tie your shoes. Now they are learning to read by the end of the year. I also know that some schools in the area start teaching sigh language and spanish in kindergarten. I personally think that it is much better for the kids, parents, and teacher to have all day kindergarten.

Hi Lexi,
My daughter went to all day kindergarten. Here in Berkley it costs you $2500 a year to go as it is not the only kindergarten option as it is in other cities. She loved it and did great. She had art, music, Spanish, gym and library just like the rest of the elementary school. She had also gone to preschool for two years and I was tired of the 3 hour days. To some children, it may seem like a long day if they aren't used to being at school, but generally the children that did go to the full day kindergarten seem to be further ahead in school than the ones who didn't go all day. There isn't much that gets done in 3 hours, so for me, it was worth every penny. Hope this helps. M.

I loved it when my kids were in all day kindergarden. They have plenty to keep the kids busy, even nap time. And you can get so much done with errands and housework. Enjoy the Time, He will love it!!!!

CJ

Hi, My name is B. I live in Maine and I have a 6 year old adn a 15 month old. I am a stay at home mom and my 6 year ols started in sept all day. Before that he hadnthad any preschool or anything so needless to say I was nervous but he was awesome with it he has never been tired from it or anything. We have had nothing but a positive experience. Good luck and if you have any ???'s just ask.

Hi L.!
I am an elementary school teacher. Our school has half day K, but my children go to a school with full day K. Being in a school where there is half day K, I wasn't sure what to expect when I sent my daughter to a full day program. The full day program was excellent. They included a rest time in the middle of the day which seemed to help. To be honest, I am a little nervous about my son. He starts K in the fall as well. I think the full day will be harder on him than it was on my daughter.

Keep me posted on how your info night goes.....if anything seems odd, just ask lots of questions!! ;-)

N.

My daughter went to all-day Kindergarten and loved it. She had also gone to preschool MWF for 3 hrs each day, but it did take a little while for her to get used to an all-day program and was tired when she got home. Having it all day ensured our kids of learning as well as getting playtime, which I think is so important for them. All-day K was hardest on my younger daughter, tho, since she'd always had big sister to play with and she cried every day the 1st week Lauren got on the bus. Good luck!

My daughter went to all day kindergarten and loved it, but by the same token by then she had already been going to daycare all day so she was used to the schedule. It worked out better for me because I'm a single mom who works, so half-day kindergarten (that is essentially only a few hours max) just wouldn't work for me.

All the best to you!

Hi L.,
Yup my son did All day kindergarten last year. He loved it and so did I. They had structured areas of play and circle time and recess and such. I think the best thing that he got out of Full day kindergarten was preparation for having a full day at first grade. Some moms that I talk to that their kids go to half day say that when they get to full day (in first grade) the kids don't know how to handle it and get very tired....

--M.

I used to teach all day kindergarten. All day is great because the children get more down time; time to play and not be pressured with too much accademic work. Each class and school is run differently but from my experience half-day and all-day kindergarten have the same curriculum expectations. Therefore the half day may be at a disadvantage because they won't have as much classroom time to spend on "free play activities or sometimes recess because the teacher is expected to cover the same amount of curriculum as in the full day classes. All day is great if the child can handle being in school for a longer day. I loved teaching all day kindergarten because the children had more time to play and participate in fun creative projects. I also taught half-day as well and prefer all-day kindergarten. I will send my children to all-day kindergartern if it is offered in my town.