Regular or Full-Day Kindergarten

I'm in MD and kindergarten here is full day and has been for several years. The kids go in and get dismissed at the same time as all the other elementary school kids and ride the bus with them (if they're in a bus area)

Even though I am home, we will be sending my daughter to full day for a longer experience, lunch with friends, etc. I think it depends on the child's personality too but for us the $4200/year is a lot! She can't wait!

Here's the deal-Kindergarten is not what we remember it to be. Much more is expected of them and much more is taught. It is extremely academic now. The problem with the half day programs is that it is pretty much all academic. Not much time for crafts, enrichment or just playing with one another. I think my boys went out on the playground only a handful of times in Kindergarten. It was pretty much all learning. When you have a full day you can put so much more into their experience. There will be art, gym, music and lots of time to socialize with one another. Basically they will have time to fit in the "old school" stuff that we had. And the thing is-these kids are still young-they still want and need to play. That being said-if your child is young or perhaps not socially ready, then do half. My oldest would have thrived in a full day-he turned 6 in Sept and he was socially very mature. My youngest would have hated it because he was a little younger and had difficulty seperating. So it really is child-specific.

Our public schools do all day Kindergarten. They need the day to get everything in. Math, reading, writing, science, The children have time to also participate in PE, Music, Spanish and Art throughout the week.

I like that they get to have lunch there, so they learn to eat what is there,they learn to make their lunch, go through the line and pay for their milk or lunch.

They learn the building, the offices, the library, the gym, the computer labs..

They have field trips, participate in the after school activities if they want.

I do not know how they get all of this done in a half day class.

We have the same thing in MN. Because I stay home, and do not need afternoon care for my son (and didn't really want to pay the over $300 per month bill) we opted for 1/2 day K. I know lots of people who think all day is really really important. This is what I think.

In MN there is a lot of talk about the "achievement gap" between low income children, ESL kids, and kids who are starting with some kind of disadvantage. These children benefit GREATLY from all day Kindergarten. Testing has been done, and it is proven that there is a great reduction in the "achievement gap" if all the kids have access to all day Kindergarten. They have probably not had the same exposure to the material that my son has had, may not have had formal preschool, may not have had monthly trips to the zoo, children's museum, art museum, etc. that I do with my kids. For them these first exposures to school and the material are really important, and the more time they have the better.

If your child does not fall within this group - they will most likely do really well in school regardless of how long their Kindergarten class time is. Would they benefit from being at school all day - for sure. Will the be behind in 1st grade because they only had 1/2 day - probably not.

If you spend time reading to your child, working on any home assignments, and helping to reinforce the curriculum that is introduced in the classroom, your child will be ready for 1st grade.

Good luck with your decision!
Jessica

In our area the "regular" kindergarten is full-day. 8-3 approximately. We don't have any other options.

If it doesn't seem worth the money, then I wouldn't do it.

In my area, the school district pays for full day kindergarten for all children. Most schools only have full day kindergarten. Only a small handful still have half day programs. I really wanted to do a half day program because my daughter was a young 5, and though we did a little part time preschool for ages 3 and 4, I wasn't sure she was emotionally ready to handle full day every day. I am a SAHM, and did not need full day for daycare purposes. It came down to the specific elementary school we wanted her to get in to for K-6. They only offered full day K, so we went with that, reluctant that they did not offer half day. It would have been much more difficult to get a spot at that school if we went elsewhere and applied there new for her first grade year. Plus I did want her to go to K with all her neighbor and preschool friends and not do the switching schools thing. I met with the K teachers at Open Houses. All had years of experience teaching K, both full and half day. They all said they MUCH preferred to have the kids for full day. Just because they have so much more time to make it a balanced, relaxed, and fun experience rather than cramming it all in to 2 hours. It makes sense, as someone else said, SO much more is expected academically. Our second grade teacher (near retirement) said the standards now in grade 2, was what used to be expected in grade 3. It's all pushed down earlier, so that leaves not much time for fun in half day K. Turn out it was good for our daughter. Some days were long, but we have no regrets about our decision.

Personally, I prefer the 1/2 day kindergarten. I think it has gotten so competitive out there. Let the little ones enjoy life, before reality sets in and
they are in school full time. Way to much pressure being put on them at
an early age.

Like the previous poster said, at my kids public school, Kinder is full day.
6 hours.
Only for the 1st week is it half day. Just to transition the kids.
After that, they have a full day.
No choice,
But it is fine.
Kids adjust.

My opinion is that if you have the chance to spend more time with your child, then take it. It is the last year you will get that. If you go to the right school, they will make sure your child is ready for 1st grade either way. Our school offers both and the 1st grade teachers say that kids from 1/2 and full both are very well-prepared, and it is because the Kindergarten teachers are good, have a lot of experience and have small classes, so the kids get any extra attention they need.

We had the same choice, but it was only $150 a month. I decided not to do it because 1) they got the same core curriculum and the full day consisted of additional art, PE, lunch, rest time, recess 2) I wanted him home, once they start school there is so little time to spend with our children and I love doing things with him.

The only thing that pushed me to do full day is 'everyone is doing it'.

Oh, and no one can tell me that sending a child to full day everyday is more beneficial (though they may both be beneficial) than our trips to the library, the park, the zoo, the botanical gardens, fire stations etc and even our errand running....and I get to spend that time with him!!

BTW, since most put their kids in full day K, they had a class size around 20 kids. My sons half day class consisted of 13 kids. A huge difference and one I am so thankful for.

I also talked to the teachers and they expressed to me that for most kids, there is not a benefit to full day, meaning in first grade there is not a difference in kids that did full or half.

Ours doesn't offer half day. So we are going full-day and I am comfortable with it. My child is excited about kindergarten and ready--- I will miss him terribly, but I know he will be in good hands and having fun. If our school offered something like what yours does, I wouldn't do it. I think full day is enough and to have a daycare on top of that would be too much. If you can avoid daycare- try to find another arrangement.

M

Mine all went to half day. They are only little once. I wanted that last year to spend with them. We had lunches, naps and fun outings together. I cried at the end of kindergarten will all of them :(

I haven't read what anyone else has written, but eventhough I am a childcare director I feel that the more time you have with your child the better. My daughter is 7 and in school all day, I cannot tell you how much I miss the freedom of waking up and having a tea party with her after a lazy breakfast, or zipping off to a playdate or just hanging out at home. In Oswego we are all in the same boat-the district is offering a full-day Kindergarten that has everyone wrestling with what to do.
Granted I used to teach at a daycare, left to teach and eventually run a preschool and now I've fallen back into daycare and am the director at a childcare center, so I have traveled the spectrum from being jaded and fully against full-day childcare (granted this was when I worked at poorly run finacially driven centers) to embracing the benefits of part-day preschool, back to today, where I am running a non-profit Christian Childcare and have found the happy medium between embracing the education aspect, understanding the need for childcare and striving to provide a safe, L. home away from home for our students. My point is that it is the underlying motivations as well as the execution of a childcare/school program is what makes it good or bad. Profit driven school = Bad, Care driven school = good, School with emphasis soley on education = bad, school with a good balance between education and care = good.
Trust your gut- what has motivated the school to offer full day care? Will you still have the freedom to take your child on a vacation? Will you be able to take them out to lunch if you want to? My fear would be that I would be bound by district regualtions an unable to visit or take my child out for partial days if I wanted to.
Remember that the years before a child is required to go to school everyday is fleeting. Soon it won't be a debate, your child will be in school all day everyday.

In Colorado, Kindergarten "Enrichment" is totally different than "full day" Kindergarten- Enrichment is cheaper and is more like child care, where full day K is an actual full day program, taught by a licensed teacher. It is true that 2 1/2 hours per day is not a lot of time for Kindergarten, considering that most preschool programs are between 2 1/2 and 3 hours. But for those moms who want to keep their children home as long as possible, 6 hours 5x per week is a really long time!

It seems like a lot of parents I talk to want their children in full-day K as well, and I think it is because they either need to work part time or need more time in their day to get things done.

we dont have it in our area but I wish we would have. I think it is a great idea.

My daughter is in half day kindergarten. We chose not to send her all day because we decided that she had 12 years to be in school all day- we wanted to ease her into school (she had never been to daycare or preschool). I also had to ease into her being away from home during the day. :) It works for us because Daddy works during the day and I go to school at night. So she goes to school, he goes to work, I do the things I need to do (errands, studying, cleaning), she comes home and we get time together, he comes home and we all get time together, then I go to school and they get Daddy- Daughter time, I come home and he and I spend a bit of time together before bed. If she went all day I wouldn't get her and I time. So, it's working for us. Plus the teacher for half day is AMAZING- my daughter has been reading at a mid first grade level since before Christmas. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher.
*******Edited to Add****
I just read through the other responses and wanted to add something. My daughter goes to art, gym, and music at different times during the week at school. The program at her school is a literacy based program so the focus a lot of reading and writing (by writing in journals daily, having daily group and individual group reading, etc) but they do math and science and lots of things they do in small groups and with other grades and parts of the school that they get a lot of socialization.

I've taught preschool for over 14 years. And as a parent, I had the same situation with my last child.. Full day kindergarten or half day?

I think you need to take a good look at your child and decide what you feel your child will be most happy and productive with. Does your child still nap in the afternoon at times? What is his/her energy level in the afternoon? What is your child's attention span at this point? Do you think after attending all morning that he will be ready for some down time? Do you do other things with your child during the week such as library time, play group, dance or sports? I wouldn't be so concerned about what other people are doing with their child. Focus on your own child and which option will be fun and challenging for him. You can always consult your child's preschool teacher and ask her opinion as well. She has seen him/her in class for a year now and probably has some good insights on where your child is at developmentally as well. Good luck!

My area only has full day