Full Day Kindergarten? - Raynham,MA

If your daughter already has experience with full day programs- such as preschool or daycare- then I say go for it! She'll learn a lot more as long as you think she can handle the long days.
A friend of mine's daughter attended an all day kindergarten last year. She had only attended 1/2 day preschool before this and was overwhelmed by the long days. I don't think it was the time as much as how much she was expected to do in that full day. She learned a lot- but was exhausted by Thursday afternoon. She was miserable on Fridays and it took all day Saturday just to calm her down and relax her. It took her a few months to adjust. But she made out fine in the end.
I too am torn on the issue. I was lucky that our district only has 1/2 day- so it wasn't an issue for me. I held my daughter back one year- as she has a Dec. birthday- so I think she would have been fine with an all day program.
I guess it just depends on the child and how much experience they have away from home.
Go with your gut feeling.
-S.

My town only does full day kindergarten and my son loved it. He has a late birthday so he was older than some of the kids in his class. By December they were able to get rid of naptime and replace it w/ another quiet activity and my son was very prepared for the crazy curriculum the kids have these days when they start 1st grade. I think its crazy that my son comes home w/ homework every night in 1st grade I didn't start getting homework until 4 or 5th grade but at least the full day of kindergarten helped get him ready for that he was coming home w/ homework 3 days a week in kindergarten.

Hi,
So I'm a straight shooter and I will just tell you my opinion on this subject. My daughter started K full-day due to where we were living at the time it didn't offer anything but, then we moved in Oct. and I too was told if she wanted to attend full-day, that it was going to be $2500 and she'd also be put into a "lottery." Of course I just don't have $2500 laying around to send her to public school, if I were to pay that amount of money, she'd be in a private school. But, where we've had both ends of the spectrum, full and half day, I can say she is thriving much better in the half day. The full day seemed to be too much for her at 5 years of age. She would come home completely crabby, exhausted, and just beat she was also wetting her pants multiple times during the week which she had rarely ever done since being potty trained at 2yrs....does this mean all kids do, absolutely not, but that was my experience. She is one of the "top" kids in her class now, no "acciddents" and she is thriving. She "misses" recess and having "lunch" at the cafe, but as we've explained, she has many more years to look forward to those kinds of things. :) I hope this helped some. Take care.

Both of my kids have had to go to full day kindergarten (out of necessity). One difference between them that would have led me to put one of them in half day if I could, is that my youngest cannot nap when he's at school. They have a 2.5 hour naptime and I think he definitely needs it, but he just can't relax enough to fall asleep. If he could, I think his days would be much easier and he wouldn't be as exhausted by the end of the day.

Just one thing to take into consideration...whether she will be able to have that "break" midday that kids need.

$2,500 sounds like a lot of money, but I pay $250/week for full time kindergarten for my son, so $2,500 for a full school year is actually a great price.

Just some thoughts!

C.

My son (now a 2nd grader) attended full-day kindergarten after 2 years of 3 day/week preschool.I did have some reservations about the all day experience but we lucked out and won a seat in a charter school w/ the all-day kindergarten.(the chances of getting a seat in the school through the lottery in higher grades are well,slim to none)I will say it all depends on the child.My son thrived in the all day program.There was an afternoon rest period and fun activities ("centers") where the projects included things like play-do,puzzles,Legos,sand/water table etc.He also has Spanish daily for an hour.His teacher was an amazing educator and really set him on a path for a love of learning.When he got home from school he was tired the first month or so and would rest but adapted quickly.All day wasa fabulous enriching experience for us.Best wishes for a great kindergaretn experience- full or half-day.

My Daughter is currently attending a full day kinder class. She's known nothing else, so I don't know how I would compare how she's doing in a whole day, versus a half day. We didn't have to pay anything to get her in the all day program, just had to also go through the lottery process. She seems to be doing really great. They incorporate a nap time, and 2 snacks a day to kind of break up the day activities. She is one of a handful of kids that is thriving in the whole day program. She has already passed the kinder stuff, and is doing 1st grade stuff. She absolutely loves school, and is upset with me on days when there isn't any school (snow days, or holidays). She thinks I try to keep her home on purpose. Overall, I think it's pretty great. I have 2 younger ones who benefit from the solo time I get to spend with them, while sis is at school. It's really just awful that you even have to pay anything, much less so much, to send your kids to a public school. Especially in these hard times.

Good Luck!

M.

So if you want your child to go to all day kindergarten you have to pay $2500? That actually doesn't seem very fair. Our school can't have all day kindergarten because we just do not have the room. However, they do have an extended day kindergarten. They started it one year after my 4th grader was in Kindergarten. It's a 4 hour day. Morning is 8-12 and afternoon is 12-4. They really jammed a lot into that 4 hour day I discovered with my now 1st grader last year. With how hard they push these kids now to be reading books in Kindergarten I think full day is really needed. The extended day has really helped the kids at our school and our district requires more of the kids than other towns in CT do, but they can handle it with that extra time spent in Kindergarten. If they could do a full day kindergarten I would be all for that. Kindergarten isn't what it was when we were kids. Elementary school itself isn't what it was when we were kids. There are lots more expectations on the kids and lots more for them to learn to be prepared in 3rd grade to begin taking those CMTs.

I live in a town that doesn't have half day kindergarten. It is all full day for no fee. Some people think that full day is too much, but I say it really depends on the child. My kids have done great with it. They were both in preschool for two years for 3 half days a week. By the time they went to kindergarten they needed more and they were more than ready for full days. It depends on the child in a lot of ways. How is the rest of the child's "schedule". Sports, piano, swimming class? My kids are only allowed to play one sport per season. I will never shuttle my kids from one activity to another. In my opinion it's way too much. So, if you are trying to make the decision, try to look at how the rest of her week or weekend looks. That plays a big role in how the full days are going to effect her. You know best what is going to work for your daughter.

You dont metion if the child is a boy or girl.
Its been my experience ( mother of seven) that I kept the three youngest boys back a year from kindergarten and they did much better.
The oldest two boys I sent at five years old and it was difficult for them. Nothing to do with intelligence, but more with maturity.
I sent the children to school knowing numbers, alphabet, colors, shapes, some could read.
I have noticed something that truly disturbs me in the general genre of these mama questions . That is a rush to push babies into being children hardly before they get a chance to be babies.
In my day we felt that if we gave them a sound first four or five years as babies and small children,they could handle most anything as they grew and matured.
A full day is a long, long day for a five year old being separated from Mum for the first time.
If your child is a girl and matured enough, you may want to seriously consider it if it is within your finanacial realm. I find it nearly incredible that a school would charge for kindergarten even if it is a prototype program.
Dont know that it sounds like a really good idea to me but then, it is not my child.
And you did ask for opinions.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

Hi!
The town we live in does full day Kindergarten--for free--maybe we're lucky... My son, who is now a second grader, went into full day Kindergarten 3 weeks after his 5th b'day and after 3 years of 2 mornings a week at pre-school. He took to it right away. HE"S FINE!! And teachers at his school, like it better than half-day kindergarten because they actually have time to teach the material and not cram it in in a couple of hours. Good luck!

My son goes 2 full days and 1 half. I have heard
Many arguments for not wanting fulltime
kindergarten, but from the time my son started
Ore-school I realized Kindergarten is really
now 1st grade and the morethry get the better.

This is not naps and fingerpainting, they learn
the basics of reading and how to write their
Letters & numbers. Like I said anything more
than part time or 2. 1/2 hours a day is a better
advantage for our kids

I have a few thoughts about the pilot program. I live in the same school district as you...but it won't affect me as I do not have children at this age level anymore. I do teach kindergarten as well in a private school.
I think there are children who are ready for a full day kindergarten program and there are children who are not.
You would hope those children placed in the program will be ready for a full day.
Many are concerned about the 'advantage' those in full day will have over those in part time. All I can say is there are children that come to our school only for the full day kindergarten or other full time programs and then go to public 1st grade. Similar to children coming into kindergarten from vaired preschool programs/daycares. You will have a variety of levels.
The one thing I am not in favor of is the cost for public education. Will this continue to be the norm after the pilot year? Lots to think about.

Wondering if you would be willing to share what town? I am searching on info on pay kindergarten in order to suggest it to my superintendent. We offer half day due to budget constraints and I would like them to consider adding a pay full day program.

I understand your concerns about paying for public ed, but in reality in MA kindergarten is not required by law and towns only have to offer half-day. Think of it like they are going half-day for free (public ed) and you are paying for half-day day care -- in that case $2500 is a huge bargain for day care for a school year! On a selfish standpoint, I am hoping my town will offer it because it is cheaper than day care and I do have to go to work every day. I also, however, can see that my child is ready for it and wants it (he knows other kids who go full day). he is already reading and would do really well with the structure of a full day program. Not all kids are ready though.

Good luck with your decision.

There is such a wide developmental range among kindergartners; alot depends on the child. Teachers understand that yound children need down time and make an effort to set a schedule that will accomadate them. I'm grateful I was able to send my kids to 1/2 day kindergarten. I wasn't ready to send them off all day at that age. (Nor was I in when they entered first, but I was working at the school with them, which worked out nicely.)

Another consideration that people may be reticent to admit is the difference in peers in 1/2 and whole day classes. Kids who've had less care from their parents tend to have more behavoiral problems, and this can set a negative tone for all the kids.

I feel that children, especially at this young age, need to have TIME for unstructured Play...to be able to experience the world at their own pace and have the time to decide what to do next.
Play is a child's work and allowing them as much freedom as possible in making choices in their days and exploring the natural world around them. gives them far greater knowledge and self confidence than spending all day in a building following an agenda.

~M.
www.anestinnature.com

One thing I haven't read in most of the responses is, "what is the child coming from?" My twins have been in daycare/preschool 8 hours a day for the past 3 years. The idea of going from that, to half day kindergarten seems silly. It wouldn't work for them, especially because there's an excellent chance that they'd be coming home at the end of the school day and not to an after school program. For children who have been in all day daycare for years, full-day kindergarten makes complete sense. For children who have been at home, or in a part-time preschool, they may very well not be ready for full time kindergarten. Unfortunately, in most districts there's no choice. For us it's full day or nothing, and our cut off is Dec 31st, so we have many 4 year olds who start "all day" kindergarten.

You have to pay for full-day K? Weird. My district has had full-day for several years, and my son is currently in K. It is not too much for him. They do learn a lot, but they have a snack and morning recess, lunch and recess, music, art, PE or library every day, and free play time in the afternoon, so the day is not too long for them. There are increased expectations on kindergarten students and teachers every year. I can't imagine how half-day kiddos could get it all in. As a 4th grade teacher myself, I would be curious to see if studies have been done about the success rate of half-day vs. full-day K. As someone else mentioned, there will always be many levels based on whether they went to preschool, home involvement, etc, so I guess it's really a personal choice. But making you pay out of pocket for public education seems questionable.

Goodluck!

My son is in full day kindergarten since that is all that is offered in our town. I was really concerned with it at the beginning of the year as he had been in daycare for full days but I started preschool late (he started in March 2008 and only went 2 days per week for 1/2 day). When he got to daycare after school on those 1/2 days he would usually take a nap with the younger kids at daycare. So going into a full day of school had me very concerned. However, He is doing really well with the full day and I am now confident that he will enter 1st grade without problems.

Hi,
I have 3 daughters, and my 1st two did full day. I'm contemplating what to do with my 3rd.. (and last!). and have mixed feeling, however I know I'll end up doing full again. Although this has helped me with my own personal situation.. ie: not having any help at all .. and certainly having them in school all day has helped me manage so many other responsibilities. However,, the most important criteria for me was that each child was READY for it, and could handle it.. and it was quite easy for me in that regard. Everytime I used to pick them up from pre-school at 1:00 in the afternoon, they would always ask.."Where are we going now? What can we do now?" They were so ready to continue their day.. and had lots of energy. And all three have never had separation anxiety, are very independent, and welcome stimulating opportunities over just 'hanging out' with mommy! I found that the time I have at home with my pre-schooler, is not always the ideal 'quality' time that we strive for. And so I'm thinking of putting her in full day, and yet will try to plan some special things we could do from time to time.. museum, craft, whatever.. and pull her out for special time with me. It is only kindergarten, so why not? I also think they get much more out of full day, and better prepares them for 1st grade. Good Luck!

This is the town of Greenville, RI????