A Case for Full Day Kindergarten

I recently had the opportunity to attend a Town Hall meeting sponsored by the Oxford Area School District. Potential budget cuts dominated the agenda and most parents attending expressed concern over the possible elimination of full day kindergarten and a return to a half day of kindergarten. After the meeting, I couldn't help but think of the evolution of education in our country and the crisis it currently faces.

Elizabeth began attending full day kindergarten 2 short weeks after her 5th birthday. I felt hesitant sending her to school for such a long period of time. She had rarely been away from me for more than 3 or 4 hours. After 2 months of cranky late afternoons, she adjusted and now, 100 plus days into it, she reads, keeps a journal, and completes simple math equations accurately.

But what has impressed me even more is the school district's approach to science. The kindergarten students leave their classroom and go to a classroom converted into a science lab. I first saw the science lab when I attended an Open House. It was empty of students but impressive. On Back to School Night I saw the science lab for the second time. I was more than impressed. The room, empty of teachers, was filled with kindergarten students eager to show their parents what they learned. I watched over a dozen confident boys and girls independently conduct a science experiment and explain the results. Imagine that, these 5 year old children explained a hypothesis, completed an experiment, evaluated their hypothesis and came to a conclusion. No other 5 year old in my family has had that strong of a foundation in science.

My grand parents emigrated from Italy in the early 20th century. They were uneducated and spoke little English. They worked very hard but did not value education. My Mother has often told me a story where the school principal would come to my grandfather, begging him to send his boys to school so they could play sports. My grand father kept them home so they could work. With support of the school system, my mother and her brothers did complete high school. My husband and I have 3 masters degrees between us. Each generation continues to achieve higher educational goals than the last. Seeing what Elizabeth has been exposed to so far in kindergarten, the possibilities for her seemed endless.

Surely this is what President Bush meant when he spoke about improving standards in the public school system. Giving 5 year old children access to this level science in an enriched environment is a step in the right direction. Connor never had a science lab and as a volunteer, I saw his teacher jam several minutes of science into their 3 hour day along with everything else. The science supplies and experiments were restricted by available space and time constraints.

In President Obama's 2011 state of the Union Address he referred to the need to strengthen our school systems and to provide a firm foundation at a very young age. Surely that is what this school district is working towards achieving and here is the direct result: a science lab full of 5 year olds, boys and girls, English speaking and Spanish speaking with a new found love of science. With continued support from the school district and at home these children could achieve goals their parents could never even imagine. They could literally shoot for the Moon. Certainly these children will be better equipped to handle the challenges currently facing our world.

Hopefully the Oxford Area School District will not have to make any cuts in their budget. If they do I will not support cuts that directly adversely affect their students' curriculum. To eliminate full day kindergarten would be one giant step backwards, back to the days of Elizabeth's great grand parents, back to education during the Great Depression and that is a place where we surely do not need to return.