Looking for Insight on Full-day Kindergarten - from Parents and Teachers

i'm really glad it was half-day when my boys went. i think mandatory all-day kindergarten is a shame, and more about accommodating working parents (an important consideration but not the only one) than what's best for the littles.
khairete
S.

I live outside of Austin and my 2nd child started kinder last September. The long day was an adjustment at first but the kids get used to it. My daughter is tired at the end of the day and so she will take a nap after school to eliminate any "grumpiness". The teachers know it is a long day for the kinders as well. Overall, my daughter loves kinder and I absolutely love her kinder teacher and everything else about the school. :)

Our daughter loved it!.. She had attended day care for years so it was nothing new. She loved learning and being with her friends.

They do have a quiet time where the teacher reads right after lunch.. But as another mom says.. the kids think the days go really fast. They play on the playground, learn letters, numbers, get to eat on the cafeteria.. They end up with new playmates and friends and become so much more independent so quickly,.

Our daughter loved the learning part, but also loved music art, Spanish and gym..
I could never afford to give her all of those lessons.

The good thing is your child will be on a great schedule.. He will come home, you will give him a snack, he will play outside, dinner, bath and then bed..

I think it is harder on the parents than on the children..

I had one son in full day Kindergarten and one is in half day Kindergarten now. At first I was worried about full day. I too, found it would be too long. But my son really enjoyed it. He was a bit tired at the beginning, but he got used to the schedule pretty quick. The teachers preferred teaching full day, because the kids are less rushed than when they are only there for half a day. Also, the teachers said that transitioning to first grade is much easier because the kids are already used to the schedule.
My younger one is in Kindergarten right now. He has half days only. He does well, but because it's only a half day, the kids don't have a lot of time to do things. It seems that often doing things fast is more important than doing things with precision. I go there sometimes to help out and I am always surprised what a rushed schedule they have. There is hardly any time to play or to explore things in greater detail. Also when they do crafts, they really don't have time to work at their own pace.
I personally think full day Kindergarten is better.

I purposely put my daughter into full day kindergarten at the local catholic school. (in pa public only offers half day)I'm really glad I did. The only bummer is that I pulled her to put her in public school for 1st grade and now she is ahead of them in reading and spelling. It is good that she is doing well but she comes home with like 5 sight words a week and she already know them. If I would have left her at the catholic school she would have sight words plus spelling words.

I've read that full day is much better for a child re: learning. I have my girls in 1/2 day preschool and although it is a great school... when you break up the day it really doesn't leave much time for learning.

9:00 drop off - get everything hung, hands washed, etc., outside play (we're in snowville so that takes a good 15 mins to get the entire class bundled up), play outside, get all your snow clothes back off, snack, get bundled back up to go home....

My daughter went to full-day Kindergarten at 5, our choice, and had no problems adjusting at all. She had been in daycare/preschool since she was 12 weeks old for about 6-7 hours/day. It didn't make sense for her to be bused from daycare, to Kindergarten for 2.5 hours, then back to daycare. Academically and socially she was more than ready.

My daughter doesn't like learning so it's been great for her! She's more into socializing and art. Having her in full day has let her get those out of the way and still have time to learn, not having to cram it all in on a half day. Even better than what our "half day kids do" in our district anyway because they go either m/w or t/th and alternate Fridays, which is confusing and has them there all day anyway! She says they're so busy that it goes really fast usually.

I'm a stay-at-home mom and though I thought she could handle a full day of kindergarten, we elected to put her a sweet program with a 1/2 day. She had a wonderful year and we were thrilled until she started school - she's now in 2nd grade and has finally caught up but last year (in first grade) was a nightmare!! She was way behind on everything and she is a bright child, we work with her every day, etc. When you think about what all of the other children - even those who have a tough transition - are getting from being in school for a full day - those with a half day really can't even compete. I am really sad about it b/c, like you, I didn't want her to go for a full day so young but I think in order for your son not to struggle, it will make your life so much easier to send him to full day kindergarten now. I hope my experience helps you, I won't be making the same choice of a 1/2 day program with my younger child. Good luck!

If possible, volunteer to assist the teacher. For me, this meant helping in the class a few hours a week. It was wonderful because it gave me peace of mind seeing what my kids were doing, how they fit in, and learning some amazing tricks from the teachers on keeping control of the class. Being there, you'll realize they do lots of different activities, and its definitely not work, work, work.

A.

I was against the concept UNTIL my kids went to half day Kindergarten. Their program was all academic and very rigourous for the age I thought-it HAD to be because they had to get a roomful of kids at varying levels reading and writing by the end of the year. There wasn't ANY time to play and really get to know eachother. They went on the playground maybe 5 times total the whole year. They had 'art and music' only every 10 days. They had no phys ed. Their teachers did their best to try to make it fun but it really was 2.5 hours of straight schoolwork. One of their teachers said to me that it had to be that way. She went on to say that if she had a full day there would be SO much more that she could do with the kids.

So I think in TODAYS academic climate the argument can be made that the kids will have a more well-rounded classic Kindergarten experience in the full day classroom. ITs not the kindergarten that we know as kids where we did crafts and played games all day-that has been replaced by preschool it seems.

Of course the con would be that it is a really long day for little kids. My oldest would have loved it-I know that I would have struggled with it with my youngest.

I'm all for full day - my daughter is in full day with both before and afterschool care since I'm a teacher myself. Her out-of-the-house day is about 9 hours long and a lot of days she asks me if she can stay later!

The one thing that I don't like is how little time they get outside. They have one recess, and with all the snow, they've been having mostly "indoor recess" which is not nearly energy-reducing enough. But that wouldn't change much if she were half-day either.

The long and short is that socially and emotionally I think your daughter will do fine with a 7 hour day, and academically she'll be better off. Give it a couple weeks and she'll adjust no problem.

Our daughter is in full day Kindergarten and she does just fine. We both work full time, so she has to be somewhere all day anyways. We chose to have her in full day kindergarten rather than 1/2 day and then shipping her off somewhere else for 1/2 the day to play. They do have "rest time" for the full day students. I think it's 30-45 mins that they lay down. She certainly does not nap, but it's just a little time to take a breather which I think is good. She is tired a bit come Friday, but so are we. From a learning perspective, we are very pleased with full day.

My two sons went to kindergarten at our neighborhood public school, full day just like the rest of the school's classes. No problems. They did get nap time right after lunch as well as daily recess and a "specials" class every day (rotating among PE, art and music) just like the rest of the grades. "Homework" was minimal, and really just to prepare them for actual homework starting in first grade. We were fortunate that both had great kindergarten teachers with 25+ years of experience. The 7:45-2:45 schedule didn't seem to faze them or be too long, as both had lots of enegy to play after coming home after school.

My son began all day kindergarten just 2 weeks after he turned 5. He is rockin' it. Tested out on reading. Is a sought after friend. Of course, he had been in an all day pre-school for 1 yr before that so to him, things really had not changed.

I guess the only negative is that he can get a bit bored by the end of the day.

You also need to look at what the daily schedule is for them. My daughter is 4 and in a full day pre school and the day is more social than academics. Academics only take up a small portion. I found that she was ready for a full day and if at home, would be bored! You will probably find K the same way, their day being broken into chunks of academics and play/social. At some point, they will have to start full days right! I am sure it will be tiring in the beginning, but just make sure after school is a relaxing quiet time.

My kids' elementary school does full day kinder AND pre-k. And no naps. Their philosophy is that they did not go to college to end up being babysitters. They believe in preparing the kids as much as possible before 1st grade and I love how they handle academics for those young grades!
I was a little worried when my older daughter first started pre-k there, because she was still taking naps at that time. But she transitioned really well! I just made sure she was in bed at a decent time each night. And at their school, they have a quiet time in the afternoon so that kids who are sleepy can lay down for a little bit and those who aren't can have their snack or read or whatever.
I think full day is ideal because they can cover so much more material, plus spend more time with the kids who are struggling. They also will have more opportunities to have music, art, computers, etc.

I teach in a full day Kindergarten, in early fall we take 15-20 minute outside recess mid morning if there is no gym class. 25 minutes of recess after lunch, 15-20 minute quiet time then acedemics for 45 minutes then 35 minutes of free choice inside. With full day there is more time for kids to explore, play and socialize, time to read to them more than once a day and let them linger and chat over snack. By winter they are ready to skip that midmorning play time (thought we'll start it up again when spring fever hits! I agree with posters that half day is more rushed we do SO much academics in K now. Every one is fine EXCEPT the kids who don't get enough sleep at night, they struggle all year. If he's very young for k then think about it. other wise just make sure he's done taking naps before school starts.

If you can afford private school, you might have more options. My daughter has been in full-time care because I went back to work when she was 2 1/2, but full time is not for everyone. At my daughter's school, because it's private, the ratios are lower. (It's at our church, so we get a tuition discount, and it's not terribly awfully expensive compared to other schools.) In a small class, you can get much more done in a smaller amount of time. So, the kg teacher is actually only there in the morning. If anyone wants to pull their kid out at lunchtime, he/she wouldn't miss any lessons, but you'd still pay the same. They also do nap year round, which is good. At 6, my daughter still benefits from a nap, although I understand that not all kids need it. (She complains when classmates keep her up!)

Although it's a long day, most kids end up doing OK. Good luck!

I had heard all good things about full day K so that's 90% of why we chose it (the other 10% being he was already in preschool 5 hours, and our "half" day option was only 2 hours long... seriously).

K was a disaster in our family from start to finish.

The biggest problem for us was the curriculum. Our son (and all the kids in his preschool) were already reading and doing arithmatic... but in K it was 1 letter per week. Colors and shapes. My son was boooooooored out of his mind.

Our second biggest problem was the length. At 8 hours, plus drive/bus time he was out of the house 9.5 hours a day. He came home *exhausted*. Every bit of self control had already been used up during the day. There was no familiy time (morning madness, school, destress & snack 30min, dinner, bath, bed)... activities were TOO much on top of the ridiculously long day. He was absolutely FALLING APART from the long school day. The first few months were the hardest. Then his spirit just broke. He was too tired. For anything. And what was worse, he was tired and bored. The only part of school he enjoyed (from the kid who used to LOVE learning beyond all other things) was lunch & the bus. He firmly HATED school by christmas. It broke my heart.

I'm certainly not saying this is the case for all kids. But for the 3 that were in his preschool with him who then went onto K with him... all 4 kids were beyond miserable.

One of my biggest regrets with him is that I didn't pull him out over Christmas break. (We now homeschool. Yes, we had other options... but we couldn't afford the 15k per year private school that would have been a perfect fit for him, and putting him in 3rd/4th -the public school's "option" for him and his friends from preschool- would have been social suicide).

My son is in a full day learning day school now (3 yo) and will move to a 4 year old pre-school next year. He has been going full day to the learning center since he turned 2. It was the best daycare option that we could find and afford that he didn't get bored at (he previously was in an in-home daycare and was so bored as he was the oldest one there). By Friday he is tired, but he loves telling me every day what he learned when he gets home. They do have a "rest" time of up to 2 hours, where the kiddos can sleep if they want to or they have quiet time. They get outside in the morning and afternoon (in San Antonio) and also have play time at the end of the day so as the parents come to pick them up they are playing rather than learning.
On the other side, I am also a teacher. There is a distinct difference in the students I see who have attended full day vs. half day programs. The half day students typically are less prepared, and also tend to "shut down" after about 3 hours. While that is fine when they are young, as they go into 1st grade and beyond, it just isn't an option.

Good Luck! -B

I think it really depends on your child and your family dynamic.

IMO, full day is much too long. Last year my youngest son went to K in the morning and then after lunch stayed there the rest of the school day for Spanish lessons (I paid for that). He enjoyed it but he was also sooooo tired when he came home and if I didn't put him down for a rest right away, even for only 30 minutes, he was a complete beast. However, at the beginning of the year we couldn't budget the Spanish lessons, so he came home at 12 and we didn't have the problem of him being so tired.

Children just aren't ready for so much sitting, especially boys, at this age. K has gotten so academic lately and boys brains especially just aren't ready for it (in most cases). I also have a lot of friends that purposefully kept their sons home an extra year before sending them to K so they were better prepared both developmentally & emotionally. I did that with my oldest son but he also has developmental delays and other issues which is what prompted me to do that which was not the case with the friends that did the same thing. My youngest son missed the cut off date in my state and I think he was much better prepared going in almost a year older than most of the other children.

For people with children that have grown up in the daycare system, for whatever reason, a full day would not be much of a problem because that is what the child knows. But for children that have not grown up in that way, thankfully, a full day is just too much. It's not right that such small children are away from us for so much of the day and being raised by strangers.

Check into the Lutheran schools. My kids benefited from kindergarten with a naptime (I think they called it quiet time). Our school here in Walburg (about 30 min. north of Austin) has full day kindergarten with a 45 min. nap each day. Smaller class sizes also make it easier to help each child adjust. With a full day, the children get all the academics but they also get to have music, P.E., Spanish, computer, art, etc. Academics are only in the morning. The variety really breaks up the day.

Our website is zionwalburg.org

Some parents opt to hold child back an extra year. Another option is private Pre-K or kindergarten with lower ratios and individualized attention. Goddard Schools in your area may have such programs.

I am a mother of three and I was a first grade teacher for eleven years.

I do think a full day program is too much for children who are on grade level or above. I had first graders fall asleep in the afternoon during the first few months so I can't imagine how it is for K.

However, for children who come from homes that are struggling to provide the basics and therefore an enriching education environment, I think it is a good alternative to helping these children become exposed to skills and concepts they would have missed.

If your a stay at home mom and not working and there is no need to have him in all day. I say, 1/2 day is just as great. In some schools the diff with all day is that they have more play, lunch and free time . Sometimes that costs more to do all day and then to see what your paying for is a big thing to know to make the decision. Some kids really need to be active and stimulated all day and parents just can't deal with the energy. So it depends on your child. All my stay at home moms and me never chose all day because we did not have too.

As a teacher: the day is very structured and the time passes rather quickly and very few children have issue with the length.
Some of them do have moments when they "miss/want Mommy" and have a crying jag. I always redirect them and say it will be soon they will be able to go home to see her and that until they feel better they can stay close to me if they want or sit at their desk with head down.
As Mommy: all my children had full day kinder so it was not an issue. They were in daycare also so even after full day at school there was after school activities.
I'm very sure it will all work out for your family.