I have never been a fan of educational fads or shortchanging a child’s education because of money concerns.

When I was in the fourth grade, in the early ‘60s, “New Math” was the fad.

Students and, of course, parents had to learn new ways to discover 2+2 still equaled 4.

Of course, let us not forget No Child Left Behind and today’s Common Core.

When I was in high school in the early ‘70s, the school board decided the district needed to operate under an “austerity” budget.

Extracurricular activities and transportation home from those educational and “fun” clubs were to be cut.

Many of the students took to the streets, literally.

We researched the budget and alternatives, and walked door to door, often in the rain, to explain to taxpayers and residents of the school district what would be lost if the austerity budget were to be approved.

Through our efforts, another vote was taken. The “austerity” budget failed and the extracurricular activities remained, with alternatives found to fund the budget.

Even now, as a taxpayer and homeowner, I would be willing to pay higher school taxes if I knew the additional money would go directly to benefit the students.

When my sons, now grown, were in elementary school, they all attended full-day kindergarten classes.

I was surprised to learn some school districts were cutting kindergarten to half-day sessions, the newest fad and the latest way to save money.

I seem to remember there was discussion at the time of finding the funds to pay for additional teachers and the facilities to house the needed classrooms for full-day kindergarten.

In fact, I find it inconceivable kindergarten is not mandatory in many states, including Pennsylvania.

Once again, the budget, not the education of the child, seemed, to me, to be the primary concern.

Now I have learned some school districts are coming full circle and either offering full-day kindergarten or are at least investigating the possibility of doing so.

Northampton Area School District has had full-day kindergarten for many years, and this is the first year for full-day kindergarten in the Salisbury School District.

In the East Penn School District, the majority of students participate in half-day kindergarten, according to Assistant Superintendent Kristen Campbell. “We do have two full-day kindergarten programs that serve students with an identified need.”

According to Catasauqua School District Superintendent Robert J. Spengler, full-day kindergarten was one of the top five needs/areas of interest identified by a needs assessment survey in 2013.

“Cost and space were the two reasons the program was not implemented,” Spengler emailed The Press.

Northwestern Lehigh School District Superintendent Dr. Mary Anne Wright emailed The Press that any discussions by the board and administration on full-day kindergarten were informal.

“The district has no immediate plans to study the topic or implement full-day kindergarten,” Wright stated.

Full-day kindergarten, however, may become a reality for Parkland children in the 2016-2017 school year.

At the Sept. 15 meeting, Kelly Rosario, director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Diane Neikam, elementary curriculum supervisor, discussed the reasons full-day kindergarten is a priority for the district.

“If we are going to meet the goal of reading proficiency by the end of third grade, full-day kindergarten is necessary,” Rosario said.

Pennsylvania Core Standards, with its emphasis on rigorous academic work, is a factor in the move toward all-day kindergarten, she added.

Of course, if full-day kindergarten is approved in the Parkland School District, finding ways to fund the program will be needed.

Business Manager John Vignone said, during the Sept. 15 board meeting, the district may need extra revenue for full-day kindergarten, capital projects and other items identified in the feasibility study underway by Stantec Architecture and Engineering LLC.

According to Child Trends, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center in Bethesda, Md., since 1977, the percentage of kindergartners enrolled in full-day programs vs. half-day programs has nearly tripled, increasing from 28 percent to 77 percent between 1977 and 2013.

“In the short term, children attending full-day kindergarten programs tend to do better in school than do children attending half-day kindergarten programs and show stronger academic gains in kindergarten,” states information from the Child Trends DataBank. “Full-day kindergarten programs may be especially beneficial for children from low-income families, especially if class size remains small.”

According to Child Trends, research is inconclusive on the long-term effect of attending a full-day program.

In an examination of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten Cohort by Jill S. Cannon, Alison Jacknowitz and Gary Painter found gains from attending full-day kindergarten largely disappeared by the end of first grade.

A study done in 2000 by Dominic F. Gullo, Drexel University, however, found children in full-day kindergarten scored higher on standardized math and reading tests through second grade.

While data on attending half-day vs. full-day kindergarten seems to show a decline in benefits, I doubt researchers took into account some of the more difficult-to-quantify intrinsic factors, such as having more time at a young age to develop a love of learning; having more time in a classroom to explore and learn about the world around them or just having more time to learn and practice socialization skills with friends and other students.

A well-rounded education takes time, and the younger a child starts, the more time that child has to grow academically and to develop into a successful and contributing member of society.

Deb Palmieri

editor

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press