All Day Kindergarten? - Portland,OR

There are two reasons I can think of for the push. #1: Most parents work full-time and can't afford full-time daycare. #2: No Child Left Behind. They want their kids to get ahead faster.

My kids all reacted differently. My oldest only had half-day kindergarten while my three younger ones had full-day, with one day half-day. My middle son, Christopher, was always exhausted and had to take a nap when he got home. My others seemed okay, though they were tired as well. Every child reacts differently.

I believe the all day kindergarden is popular now because so many mothers have to work full-time outside the home. Myself, I have had my son in daycare since he was 12 weeks, increasing from 3 days to a full 5 days. Without full day kindergarden, I don't know how I could keep my job. And as a single mom, I NEED that job.
Hopefully the school you choose will be used to the challenges of a young pupil who has not had a structured environment before. Talk to the teachers and principal. They may relieve your concerns. And remember, after a few days adjusting, he will probably have so much fun the time will fly by. Good luck.

My granddaughter, barely 5 last year, was in an all day kindergarten and loved it. The teacher is trained and good at implementing a varied day in both activity and energy level. There was no pressure to perform. And the kids did a lot of fun activities while learning a variety of fun things. They also learned how to follow directions and to co-operate and play with others. She is in the first grade this year and also enjoys that.

Her school district does also have 1/2 kindergarten for those who choose that.

I'm guessing that the reason for all day kindergartens are two fold. One, education today is much more intense than it was just a few years ago. The full day kindergarten gives those kids an edge. And 2, most kids are in full day daycare as it is and so a full day kindergarten seems logical.

My granddaughter was anxious when she started preschool, again at the start of kindergarten, and still at the start of first grade. Just because you son objects to going doesn't mean that he shouldn't go. One of the very important things that we must learn in order to have the life that we want is how to handle new things and the stress that they involve.

Perhaps an all day kindergarten is too difficult for him. Could you start him in preschool this year? I strongly recommend finding out if he's too immature or has learning and/or social obstacles to attending kindergarten. Perhaps he has a learning disability that needs to be address before attending school. The school is required by federal law to test and provide appropriate education for children having difficulty with school.

Hi M.,

My daughter just started a full day Kindergarten program and we all love it. In our case, the school we chose for her is a language immersion program with half the day in English and half the day in Japanese. Full days were necessary for the instruction offered.

My daughter went to preschool plus aftercare for two years previously and did fine. I was working full time during her preschool enrollment so she was there until 5:30 every evening (she napped at her preschool). In comparison, getting home at 2:30 is a shorten day for her. However, I have scaled back her bedtime to allow a full night's sleep (we eliminated naps over the summer) and have noticed she is more tired, but is adjusting to her new schedule with aplomb.

I agree with other responders that many schools probably offer full day Kindergarten to accommodate working parents. I think that as long as the child is getting adequate sleep, nutrition and self directed free time; the additional hours at school are fine.