Full Day Kindergarten - Chino Hills,CA

My DD went to full day Kinder and so did I. We are both completely fine! My daughter loves school and loves learning and being with her friends. She was not in child care or anything before-hand except when she was very young and she did great!

I've never heard of half day kindergarten in a public school. My three kids and the many children that we know plus the 10's of thousands of students here in the metro-Atlanta area all do excellently with a full day.

I have two girls and I did half day kinder and the other did full day. I can see the difference in them. The younger one that did full day was tested as gifted in this past year and seems to have more confidence in her school work. My older one is a bright student but she seems to work much harder than her sister. I don't know if that is why, but to me that is the only difference between them. I have always worked at home with them as I am a teacher and we do the same things but one is just a better student. Also I did notice it was easier for the one with full day to adjust to 1st grade since full day was what she was use to.

Before I give my answer, I want to explain my background. I am an educator. I have taught Kindergarten and First Grade. I am also a reading specialist AND I am a mother of three. My children are spaced out ten years. My oldest went to half day kindergarten. He is currently about to enter 5th grade and he is above grade level at a parochial school that has strong academics. My second went to extended day kindergarten at the same school. He is about to enter 2nd grade and he too, is above grade level, perhaps even higher than his brother. I don't think that this has anything to do with the fact he spent two hours more a day in kindergarten. My youngest is 11 months. Ironically, I was just thinking the other day, that I would want her to attend a half day kindergarten.

Of course, this is assuming that she is as bright as her brothers. If she struggles academically, I would want her to have a longer school day. If I see that she is struggling academically, I would hold her back a year and start K when she is six. Her birthday is the end of August.

Schools these days tend to be very academic. A longer Kindergarten day allows for the teacher to expand some subjects, add in art, music, etc, or stuff more into everyday.

Yes, you certainly need to think about your child's developmental levels and what she can take but you also need to examine how well she is doing academically. Does she know her alphabet, not singing or chanting, but out of order, capitals and lowercase? Can she write her name? Can she read some words? How high is she able to count too? Depending on the answer, may help you decide where to send her. If she know the skills I have listing above and can actually do even more, she may just need the half day program or you can check to see if one of the full day programs have time for other subjects like art, P.E. , social studies, etc.... If the full day programs focuses on early reading and math skills, and she is strong academically, she may be challenged to stay engaged. However, if she has not acquired the skills above, the extra time may give her the boost she needs.

Most Kindergarteners and 1st graders are exhausted the first six to eight weeks of school. Each afternoon when I taught first grade, at the beginning of the year, I would have kids that actually fell asleep at their desks.

Kindergarten teachers will accomadate their young students, getting them ready for a more challenging day later in the year. It may be easier to have her in a longer day. You know her day is more streamlined.

Good luck, I am sure that whatever you choose will work out for her. Remember to have a positive attitude with your daughter when discussing school. It will give her the confidence to go foward too.

Someone asked a similar question a while ago and was told the child only learns for 2 maybe 2 1/2 hours. That said, if they had full-day kindergarten here, I would enroll my child. I think that the social aspect and the getting used to sitting down and listening and all the other little things you learn in kindergarten are worth it. She's smart so I personally wouldn't do it based on academics. I don't think its too much school.

My son is going into 3rd grade this year. When he was in kindergarten his was the first class to go full day at our school, it had been 1/2 day prior. He handled it very well as did his sister 2 years later. Some of our neighbors had older children who had attended 1/2 kindergarten and younger siblings who then got to go for a full day. All of them were amazed at how great full day was compared to 1/2 day. The 1/2 day just was not enough time to accomplish anything. The kids learned so much more in the full day and I've not heard a single parent complain about their children being burned out.

Good luck,
K.

Our kids started full day, 5 days a week at 3 years old in Pre-School. They survived and loved just about every day. I just don't see the point of dropping a child off and then a few minutes later going to get them...and 2 1/2 hours is just a few minutes in the big picture.

Different children will have different responses to any sort of situation. If you think your daughter will thrive in that environment, she'll probably be fine. I doubt that they will push much sit-down academic curriculum at her, but be sure to ask. That would be too much for many preschool-aged kids.

If you claim one of the available openings, are you committed to finishing the year there? When my daughter was old enough for an optional public-school kindergarten, I enrolled her – we were both excited. But she started expressing anxiety within a few days. I took a couple hours off work and sat in her classroom. The teacher was snappish and seemed seriously burned out – she didn't even try to make nice when a mom was observing. I un-enrolled my child instantly and put her back into a daycare program that she loved.

kids are expected to know so much by the end of kindergarten now full day is the best way to accomplish that......when my daughter was in 1/2 day I don't think they really got much learing accomplished by the time the kids get in the classroom and in their seats, hear a story, have a snack and reccess it is time to go home, I am soooo excited my district is now full day for my son.......I could have sent my daughter to full day but it was at a different school than she would attend for the rest of grade school and I didn't like the idea of her getting used to one set of friends to be uprooted to a different school and have to start all over as the "new kid" in first grade....yes I know she was young but I remember in grade school even in first grade the "new kid" being picked on simply because they were new.......I also didn't want to have to drive her when there is a school at the end our street......so not only do you need to think about daycare on your problem days, you have to think about transportation everyday and if you are going to change schools next year........

Our town has three full days and two half days. Each child goes full days on Mondays and Fridays and then there is a "call back" day for each child on either tuesday, wed, or thurs. On those days, all kids go in the morning and then a group of 5 to 7 kids stay in the afternoon for more one-on-one time with the teachers. All of my children went to full days (5 days a week) for preschool, so going into kindergarten was less time for them! They seem fine on the full days.

my grandchildren both went to all day kindergarten. it was wonderful for them. they had a rest time in the middle of the day. and recess etc. so its not like sitting in a desk for 6 hours. they still move around a lot and there is some playtime built in. and lets face it the whole half day thing is mostly really about 2 hours and 20 minutes. at least here where we are. it starts at 830 and ends at 10:20 how much can really be done. by the time coats and hats and boots are off, kids into desk, say pledge here announcements, color a page, sing a song and its time to put coats hats and boots back on to leave. i love the whole day thing

My daughter did full day kindergarten and it was great. I think it's totally fine. My son will do it this year also. He loves his naps still, so I am a little worried about that, but they are accomodating and give them plenty of play time and quiet time. They do not take naps, but if a kid needs one, they let them take one. So it should be fine.

Thanks!!

I was a primary school teacher for 10 years before I became a mommy and most of it was in all day kindergarten. I love the all day schedule. I think that a half day program is not enough time to teach kids everything that they are expected to learn by the beginning of 1st grade. That being said, it also depends on the teacher. I agree that it is hard for a 5 year old to sit for 2 1/2 hours but if the program is done right and you have a good teacher no one should be sitting for 2 1/2 hours! It's hard for most grown ups to sit that long :) I would definitely talk to the schools with the full day program, especially if your daughter has already been in preschool. She may get bored with a half day program or a full day may be too much for her, only you can know that! But talk to the teachers and find out what a daily schedule looks like. Ask questions, like how much time will the kids spend sitting in "desks" and what
is expected of them? Good luck and I Hope you find the right place for her!

My oldest had a flex schedule - all day 2x week. My son went all day 5x week. My youngest did half day. All of them did just fine.

I'm a firm believer in going to school with the kids in your neighborhood. They'll want to have play dates and such. As they get older, they may be able to walk to school, etc. And when they start activities like scouts and sports, it's often based on school and/or neighborhood. So I think it would be a bummer to be at a different school than your neighbor friends. And I wouldn't want to make my kid change schools after getting comfortable and making friends. Just a thought. Good luck :)

All of my boys did full day kinder and did outstanding. I think the better question would be are you ready for it.

All the schools in our district are full day kindergarten. I wish there were still some half day programs. I don't think kindergarteners need a full day, but we have no choice, other than to homeschool.

I was under the impression that most kindergartens were full days now and that the minority were in half day. But, that just might be my exposure, since everyone where I live goes full day and all the schools where I grew up (different state) all go full day and most of the posts on here have been about full day.

My son did just fine in full-day kindergarten. He was only 4 years old until late Oct. as well. He also had preschool the year before for 3 days a week, 3 hours/day. Some of the moms complained that full-day was too much because their older children had only done the half-day... My son is the oldest for me. He was a bit tired at first, but quickly got used to it. Good luck! I'm sure if she loves school, it won't be a problem for her at all. Besides learning a lot, they have tons of play time and lots of variety...

My son went from 3 days a week 1/2 days to a full day Kinder. and did just fine. I think that kids are a lot more resilant than we give them credit for. Being surrounded by all the other kids makes them realise that this is "the norm". They dont know any different than what is introduced to them. Plus, Kinder is a "BIG" step so they will feel like "BIG kid". My son did great. As a mother I knew it was a full day for him so I would just make it a point to get him to bed a little earlier to ensure he had a full nights sleep. Best of luck to you!

Hi J., My daycare child is enrolled inn kindergarten here by my house they just started full day kindergarten this year, she started July 26th and she goes from 8:10 to 2:10 mon-Fri J.

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Hi J., My daycare child is enrolled inn kindergarten here by my house they just started full day kindergarten this year, she started July 26th and she goes from 8:10 to 2:10 mon-Fri J.

I know I'm late answering but I did all day kindergarten at our local synagogue. Many churches and synagogues offer kindergarten. You might want to check that option out so you won't have to do the 1/2 day.

Hope this helps.

I did not have an option for 1/2 day kindergarten... talking to relatives in other states about full vs.. 1/2, I think the instructional time is probably about the same, but in full day, they get an additional recess, eat lunch, have "rest time" and maybe another story time. It is not strapped to the desk for the full 6 hours type of thing. I would go with full time if the school is to your liking.

I read through most of the responses, so I will try to not repeat. The one thing I did not see, and ours did this, was for the first month, they go 1/2 day, then start the full day. It eases them into it. Also, if you stop and think about what Kindergarten teachers are supposed to teach to their kids, it would lead me to believe that the 1/2 day would be way more structured and academic than a full day, as the full day has twice the amount of time to do it in.

My daughter did full day kindergarten last year and it was bilingual. It took some adjusting to in the beginning (she was very tired) but it was a great experience. I am a teacher as well and I saw the benefit of the full day program vs. the 1/2 day program (as we have at my school of employment). The the demanding kindergarten standards, the 1/2 day programs no longer have time for play (which I believe is so important for kinder). My daughter's teacher provided a 15 minute rest time after lunch for the first couple months of school. They had plenty of time to master the kinder standards, learn a second language, and have PLAY time as well.

In San DIego all the school's are full-day kindergarten so we didn't have a choice. Both my kid's did really well with the whole day. The school's have a nap time and lots of play time, so it worked well. The only thing is about every 10 days or so, my daughter would fall asleep after school and sleep until morning. I had asked other parents and they said that that happened to a few of their kid's as well. My son didn't do that, so it just depends on the child.

One of the mamas wrote about staying in the neighborhood school for playdates. My oldest was in kindergarten in the neighborhood school and then took her out after that. That mom is right, we really don't know a lot of kid's in our neighborhood. They still have playdates w/ their friend's at their school, it just takes more coordination. Anyway, it's one more thing to weigh.

If you decide to stay in your neighborhood. Maybe see if one of the parents has a daycare that picks up the kid's from school. I think two mom's in my daughters class did that.

Good luck!
Stephanie

I didn't read all the responses, so sorry if I repeat an idea. My daughter did K last year, full day. I absolutely loved it, so did she. The teachers have a certain amount of material they have to cover over the year (which is WAY more than years before) so one good thing we liked is that instead of cramming it down these little kiddos, they have more time to do it. That gives the kids more time to socialize and play. It also gives the teachers more time for students who need it. The kids who seemed to have problems were the really clingy ones who had never had preschool, etc.

good luck

as someone that has been a kindergarden teachers aid I can tell you that it is hard for a 5 year old to sit for 2 1/2 hours in a classroom 6 hours is way to much. that is a very long day for a 5 year old. Most elementary schools have day cars that come pick up and drop off kindergardeners.. you might what to look into that first.. Just think about it.

Hi J. ~

I was with you about full-day kindergarten before my daughter started elementary school. She had gone to just one year of half-day, play-based preschool, so to me the thought of putting her in an academic setting from 8:30 to 2:30 sounded like way too much to expect.

But the 3 hour class that she had was jam-packed & fast-paced from one lesson to another. Sure, they had a break and lessons are light & made as fun as possible, but it's stressful for everyone, including or maybe especially for the teacher. I found out after kindergarten year that a full-day class doesn't have more work to do, they have more time to do it in, so the pace is much nicer. It wasn't an option at my daughter's school the year she started, so the issue was moot for us. They piloted it the next year & instituted it the year after. I've never heard a single complaint from any of the parents.

My advice to you is to try to talk to families in the school where your daughter might go & ask them how it was for their child(ren).

I wish you & your family all the best,
Colleen