From Arizona’s State Department of Education:

“In a summary of research on Full-Day Kindergarten, the ADE found that although length of day plays a crucial role in the attainment of these benefits, professionals also seem to agree that providing children with instruction that is developmentally and individually appropriate is equally as important.

“Practitioners find that the positive effects of full-day kindergarten are best seen in settings where students learn through a combination of teacher- and child-initiated activities, explore topics in depth and are provided the opportunities to work in both small and large groups.”

Some additional benefits include:

Benefits for students:

· More “time and opportunity to play with language” as well as to explore subjects in depth

· A more flexible, individualized learning environment

· More individual and small-group interaction with the teacher than is possible in most half-day classrooms

Benefits for parents:

· Lowered childcare costs possible

· The opportunity for lower-income families to enroll children in a higher quality early education program that might not otherwise be affordable in the private market

· Less difficulty scheduling childcare and transportation, especially when more than one child is enrolled in the same school

· Increased opportunities to get involved in their children’s classroom, as well as to communicate with the teacher

Benefits for teachers

· Reduced ratio of transition time to learning time

· More time to spend with students individually and in small groups

· More time to get to know and communicate with parents

· More time to assess students and individualize instruction to their needs and interests

· Fewer total students – 20 to 25 per year as compared to 40 to 50 – than in two half-day classrooms

All-day kindergarten in Fountain Hills is a good idea. Vote yes on the School District’s budget override.