In my presentation I will be talking about the pros and cons of full day and half-day kindergarten
Here are just some straight forward facts about full day kindergarten. Showing the differences between the different types of schools
With full day kindergarten being a new trend a lot of parents with children of kindergarten age might not be full aware what it entails. Its important for them to be informed so if they are given the choice to send their child to either full day or half day kindergarten they can make the best choice for their child.
This is a typical full day kindergarten schedule I found online. One of the benefits that parents and teachers are seeing with having a full day to spend with kindergarteners is that they have the chance to spend more time on topics that may need more time than usual. Full day kindergarten usually spends about an hour on language arts and writing. 30-40 minutes on math and different work shops.
Although half-day kindergarten is only three hours, the students still spend an hour on language arts and writing. They also spend the same time on mathematics which is important.
More time spent on learning is a major reason full day kindergarten was brought into the mainstream. Being in a full day setting really helps ESL students because it puts them in a setting where English will be spoken for 6 hours instead of 3. Parents are also saying that full day kindergarten is really helping them out because they can go back to work.
Its really a catch 22 for parents because they want their child to do well in school but it is hard for some parents to chose which is more important because children at their age learn just as many important skills inside the classroom as they do at home or outside playing with their friends. Worries of putting that much pressure on children is also another concern for parents. Teachers are also saying that its too much at times to draw out a lesson plan that long all day because the children are so tired after lunch time. Also funding is another concern because the school would need to supply lunch, more school supplies for the classroom.
Like I said before, its important for children that age to be at home learning skills there as well as at school and this way they get both. Sending them to school right off the bat for 6 hours may scare children away from school, half day kindergarten helps ease them into the process. Less funding is also another reason why a lot of schools done switch over, it costs a lot of money that isn’t there-especially now.
Again, its hard to choose between having a “kid be a kid” and achieving academic success, so less instruction time is starting to come up with parents and teachers being concerned. Its also hard for parents because if the kindergarten doesn’t have a day care that they child can stay at after school, especially if they go in the AM it makes it hard for them to get job or find someone to babysit the child.
Full Day Kindergarten
Full Day Kindergarten VS. Half-Day Kindergarten<br />Margaret Circele<br />
Emerging Trend: full day kindergarten<br />Full day kindergarten is becoming a very popular trend in the United States.<br />In 2000 63% of children enrolled in kindergarten attended full day kindergarten<br />Catholic Private: 78%<br />Private: 63%<br />Public: 57%<br />
Emerging Trend:Full Day Kindergarten<br />Its important for parents especially to be informed about this emerging trend because more than likely in the next few years they will have a choice in their school district to send their child to full day kindergarten or have them attend a regular half-day kindergarten setting.<br />Right now only 9 states require attendance of full day kindergarten: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. <br />
Typical Full Day Kindergarten Schedule<br />Starts at 8 a.m.<br />9:00-10:00 a.m. Language Arts ( shared reading/Read aloud activity, word work, vocab development, journal writing, response to story.)<br />10:00-10:30 Recess<br />10:30-11:30 Writing Workshop (Literacy based activities based on students needs, phonics instructions)<br />11:30-12:30-Lunch & Recess<br />12:30-1:20 Rest time/Quiet time snack time<br />1:20-2:00 Mathematics using manipulatives<br />2:00-2:30 Work time (learning centers)<br />2:30-3:00 Clean up, evaluation of the day (what did we do today?) and Dismissal<br />
Typical Half-Day Kindergarten Schedule<br />8:00-8:15 Play Time & Directed Activity<br />8:15-8:30 Opening Activities (songs, calendar, poems, chants, and counting)<br />8:30-9:40 Language Arts (read aloud, shared reading, writing activity, language experience, independent reading, phonics instruction)<br />9:40-10:10 Center Time (talk about the day so far)<br />10:10-10:50 Mathematics<br />10:50-11:00 Recess<br />11:00-11:15 Social Studies/Science<br />11:15-11:30 Prepare for dismissal<br />
Full Day Kindergarten Pros<br />More time spent on lessons to better prepare students for elementary school.<br />Students will already be use to being in school for a full six hours once they graduate to 1st grade.<br />Helps ESL students.<br />Helps parents.<br />
Full Day Kindergarten Cons<br />Less free time at school, not enough time for “kids to be kids.”<br />Too demanding for students and teachers.<br />Funding<br />
Half-Day Kindergarten Pros<br />More time for children to be at home<br />Eases them into a elementary hourly schedule<br />Better hours for their age<br />Less funding<br />
Half-Day Kindergarten Cons<br />Less instruction time.<br />Less readiness for elementary school.<br />Difficulty for parents with older children that are in school full time.<br />
Making Up Your Mind…<br />If your planning on teacher at the kindergarten level, this is something that will definitely impact your job. Having schools switch over to full day has only gotten more popular over the past few years so there is no telling when or if all school districts will switch over. Its definitely something to think about!<br />
References<br />Full day & half day in the United States: Findings from the early childhood longitudinal study, kindergarten class of 1998-99. National Center for Education Statistics. 28 October 2009http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/web/2004078.asp<br />Full Day Kindergarten: A study of state policies in the United States. June 2005. Education for child development. 26 October 2009http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=464004<br />A sample of half day kindergarten schedule & A sample schedule of full day kindergarten. 15 December 2006. Pennsylvania Department of Education. 26 October 2009. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/cwp/view.asp?a=317&Q=123868&early_childhoodNav=%7C10702%7C<br />