Questions of Kindergarten: Full Day versus Half Day
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A post from LifeasMOM Contributor, JessieLeigh
About this time of year, notices start going home to the parents of 4 1/2 to 5 year olds; it’s time to start registering for kindergarten.
In my town this year, it’s a very hot topic. At story hour, birthday parties, and outside the pre-K classroom, mommies can be heard debating. Why? Odds are good that next year’s kindergarteners will be going full-day rather than half-day.
I’ve heard many arguments. There are lots of proponents for both sides. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve decided I’m truly okay either way.
Here are some reasons to embrace your town’s kindergarten program, however they may do things:
Half-Day
Your child won’t be as overwhelmed and exhausted in the beginning. The majority of children entering kindergarten aren’t used to going to school every day of the week, much less all day. Some have never had any preschool experience outside the home. A half-day program may be an easier adjustment.
At least one of your child’s bus trips will be with other small children. It can be less intimidating to send your child off with a couple dozen five year olds than a bus full of “big kids.”
You won’t have to pack lunches or rely on what the school’s serving up. It can be easier to just feed your child at home and know exactly what he or she is eating.
You can still fit in some “daytime” outside activities, like story hour or tumbling class, etc.
If you’re a stay at home parent, you get more time with your child. I confess this is the biggest reason a part of me hopes our program remains half-day. I selfishly don’t want to let her go yet. The fact that I have another child who will be transitioning into full-day as he heads off to first grade doesn’t help matters…
Full Day
Your child will be on the same or similar schedule to any older children you may have. This can simplify bus rides or drop offs considerably.
You won’t need to arrange as much childcare if you work outside the home. Should this be the sole reason a town moves toward full-day programming? In my opinion, no. Still, it can’t be ignored that it is a real perk for many families.
You will have more “one on one”, “one on two”, etc. time with younger siblings. Later born children sometimes miss out on some of that!
Your child will be well adjusted to attending school full time before heading off to first grade. That transition has to happen at some point; your child will just do it a year sooner.
Your child will have more time to play with peers and socialize. This is the number one reason I can get behind full-day kindergarten. The expectations in public kindergarten have changed drastically since the days you and I attended. There are significant academic goals for our children. Added to that, you have teachers who are trying to get a whole group of young children (some of whom have had no group learning experience yet) into a routine. There is bound to be lost time. Sadly, free-play time is often what suffers. Having a full-day program offers more flexibility and opportunities for the children to play and socialize… two of the most important ways they learn at this age.
It remains to be seen whether my daughter will be going full day or half day next year. I am truly at peace either way.
How about where you live?
How does your town (or your home) do kindergarten?
— JessieLeigh is the mother of a former 24-week micropreemie and two full-term blessings as well. She is a determined advocate for the tiniest of babies, including the unborn, and a firm believer in faith and miracles. She shares about raising such a precious, tiny baby over at Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles.
We only have the full day option here and I was really nervous to send my 1st son, but he did great. Sure he was tired at the beginning, but he loved it and it was great for him.
They have an early lunch and an afternoon snack and get quiet time to read or put their heads down if they need to. Plus they do the art, music, PE, recess just like all the other kids at the elementary school.
This next year my 2nd son will start and will be the youngest in his class. I’ve had him in preschool 2 days a week this year to prepare him and I think he’ll do fine.
I think kids are pretty good at adapting and if it’s 1/2 or full day, they get used to it and do fine!
@Jen, I agree that (at least most!) children are very adaptable and do great despite our worries. 🙂
Great post! I have been going rounds with this whole kindergarten thing. My son doesn’t turn 5 until June. With him not turning 5 until summer-time – I think we are gonna hold him and start him when he is 6. Now that this issue is mostly resolved – I’m currently wrestling with doing home school or public school! So many hefty decisions to hash out! Praying!
Thanks for the insight 🙂
Blessings,
Kate 🙂
Decisions, decisions. Life is full of them. You can check out last summer’s schooling series for ideas about different methods of schooling: public, private, and home. Here’s the page: http://lifeasmom.com/category/learning/how-we-do-school
@Kate, I second Jessica’s recommendation of that series… and not just because I wrote one of the posts. 😉 Praying along with you that your family finds the perfect choice for your family and your situation. I truly believe there is no one “right” or “more righteous” choice. I’m confident you will find what works for your family!
I taught Kindergarten when our district switched from 1/2 day to full day. While the beginning of the year was difficult for some of my stuents to adjust due to length of day they all did adjust. Our school curriculum these days is so strict due to state testing and NCLB and students are learning so much more than they ever did at younger and younger grades.
Kindergarten use to be learn to socialize and adjust to school routines but not any more. I had ALL ofmy Kindergarten students going into 1st grade already reading & many of them leveled books for 1st grade. That is a huge advantage for them. All day Kindergarten in my opinion is a necessity not an option.
@Dina, Thanks for weighing in from a teacher’s perspective, Dina! I know that our school’s kindergarten teachers are actually very supportive of the switch to full-day as they’ve felt lots of pressure to “cram it all in” with the current schedule.
At our school, you pay for full-day. Either way, I LOVE half day. My daughter will be almost 6 when starting Kindergarten, but does not need to go to school all day. As for Sheila’s comment, my oldest 2 children went 1/2 day and had the advantage. They were able to do activities outside of school and learn by doing 1/2 the day instead of being in a classroom. They are both at the top of their classes (5th and 3rd grade now).
They have their whole lives to be in school all day. Of course, many don’t have a choice at their school. I feel blessed that we have a choice.
Our district has half-day for free, full-day with parents paying tuition (no state funding for full-day kindergarten). My daughter is soooo ready for kindergarten, and we’ve registered her for full day. I’m not so happy about the lack of naps, or the fact that they only get one recess, but this is what works for our family with working parents. (And we had to register our kids by the end of January/beginning of February.)
When my kids started kindergarten, we had the option of half-day or full-day, with us paying a fee for the full-day option. I felt that once they got to first grade, those that had attended half-day would be at a disadvantage to those who had attended full-day.
@Jan, We live in a university town, so not only do we have all-day Kindergarten, but no naps or snacks for the little ones either! I thought that seemed barbaric at first, but she does fine.
I have struggled with this topic all year long. My oldest child will be starting Kindergarten next year and the only option we have is full day. I am still not sure this is the right choice for our family. I think it is a lot for such a young child.
I have spent many hours wondering why they eliminated the 1/2 day as an option. I know the standards have been raised since I attended years ago but I still don’t think it is necessary to put so much pressure on children. They grow so fast what is the hurry???
@Kelley, Kelly…I spoke with my daughter’s K teacher, when she was in K and she valued the extra time she had in a full day program. The states require them to teach tons of material and in a full day program they are able to spend more quality time on each thing with the kids and not trying to cram it all in just a couple of hours. Both of my daughters love school and I think that begins in their earliest years of school. I appreciate they had teachers who loved teaching & were able to spend the extra time instead of being stressed out over getting it all in.
@AFTexan Mom, Thanks and I do totally get the struggle the poor teacher faces. I do understand the extreme pressure that exists for the staff. It just feels like so much. But I need to also say (not to take away from thoughts) that this is my first go around. I have others behind him so I am sure this coming year is scary for me more because it is hard to let go!
@Kelley, Kelly, I understand where you’re coming from. My youngest started K this year. As you already know, when you have more than one child, each one learns differently. Full day may be great for one child & 1/2 day may be another child needs. You will know best for them…I say go with that “Mother’s Intuition” and some prayer and your children will do great. One last thing I also kept in mind was…Will Kindergarten make or break my girls academic careers if they could only go 1/2 day? Probably not…So just go with your gut. Wishing you only the best in this decision.
Where I grew up it was full-day and I was shocked to learn that half-day is the norm here in Southwest PA. And that “half day” often really means “just over two hours.” Yikes. I work full-time so my kids are in a really good day care all day, every day. The idea of going from that down to a few hours just baffles me. And it will be a huge hassle to find a childcare arrangement that works. I can see how half-day is a great transition for children of stay-at-home parents, but for those who are used to daycare, it makes a lot less sense.
When are oldest son went to Kindergarten it was at a small private school and it was 1/2 day. A few years later that same school runs two programs 1/2 day or whole day. When our middle child was ready, we choose homeschool…