NEW: Lawmaker Introduces Legislation to Expand Full-Day Kindergarten
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
According to the U.S. Department of Education, children in full-day kindergarten classes make greater academic gains in both reading and math compared to those in half-day classes. Full-day kindergarten classes are more likely than half-day classes to instruct students daily in the areas of math, social studies and science.
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, which has also amassed voluminous data on full-day kindergarten, says that full-day classes can be beneficial to poor and minority children and can contribute to closing academic achievement gaps. Children in full-day classes, according to the organization, are more likely to be ready for first grade than those in half-day programs, regardless of family income, parental education and school characteristics.
Despite a tremendous expansion in access to full-day kindergarten during the past decade, Rhode Island lags behind the national average for offering full-day K.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“All studies, all statistics show that children benefit academically from participating in full-day kindergarten,” said Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston). “With three out of every four four-year-olds in the country enrolled in some type of preschool program, kindergarten no longer serves as the entry to formal, full day schooling for most children. In addition to the academic good it serves, full-day kindergarten provides a smoother transition into regular grade school and gives teachers more time to provide meaningful learning opportunities that help cognitive, physical and social/emotional development.”
Currently in Rhode Island, 19 school districts offer full-day kindergarten programs, while 17 do not. Those 17 offer half-day programs or, in some cases, half-day programs with one full-day class.
Senator Gallo has introduced legislation that will expand the availability of full-day kindergarten. She said the bill is not a mandate but rather an opportunity for school districts that want full-day K to operate that kind of program.
Supported by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, the bill calls on the state to offset a portion of reasonable startup costs for three or four communities that currently provide full-day kindergarten to fewer than 50 percent of students. The program would be available to those districts that apply, beginning in the 2013-14 school year.
The funding will be based on a portion of reasonable startup costs, including but not limited to desks, books and facility upgrades. If more than three or four school districts apply, the Commission of Elementary and Secondary Education will determine those selected to participate based on current ability to house the students, maximizing the number of students that can enter full-day K that year.
The legislation is co-sponsored by Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown), Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-dist. 12, Middletown, Little Comptom, Newport, Tiverton), Sen. Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence), Sen. Frank A. DeVall Jr. (D-Dist. 18, East Providence) and Sen. Roger A. Picard (D-Dist. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland) as well as 23 other members of the Senate.
Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, whose office has worked with Senator Gallo to draft the legislation, said that “Learning in the early years is the foundation that supports a lifetime of learning, so I strongly support initiatives that expand educational opportunities for our youngest learners. The ‘Full-Day Kindergarten Accessibility Act’ provides incentives that will encourage more districts to offer a full school day of kindergarten instruction. This proposal will benefit thousands of our children without imposing any costs or mandates on communities. I commend Senator Gallo for her sponsorship of this legislation and for her commitment to transforming education in Rhode Island.”
The bill was also prepared with the input of Kids Count, a policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health, safety, education, economic security and development of Rhode Island’s children.
“Children benefit from participating in a full-day kindergarten program in many ways,” said Elizabeth Burke Bryant JD, Executive Director of KIDS COUNT. “Our organization has been tracking full-day kindergarten in Rhode Island for many years and we are pleased to report that there has been a lot of positive momentum on this issue. While the percentage of Rhode Island kindergarten students attending full-day programs has increased from 18 percent in 1999-2000 to 64 percent in 2011-12, we are still below the national average of 74 percent. This bill will help move Rhode Island toward the goal of providing all students with access to full-day kindergarten.”
According to information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Kids Count, 88 percent of public school kindergarten students in the core cities were enrolled in full-day programs during the 2010-11 school year (a decline from 100 percent the year before due to a decision by the Woonsocket School District, due to budget issues, to eliminate all but one full-day classroom). The districts which do not now offer full-day programs include the state’s suburban and more rural communities, such as Coventry, Foster, Portsmouth and Scituate, but also include larger, more urban municipalities such as Cumberland, Cranston and Warwick.
“The weight of evidence shows that full-day kindergarten benefits students in many ways,” said Senator Gallo. “For those students and all young students around our state, we need to approve this legislation and, in the years ahead, continue to expand the opportunities for our youngest students.”
“We are also cognizant of the fact that full-day kindergarten is an expense for our municipalities. That is why we are not issuing a mandate, but rather have created a way to provide limited one-time startup funding for districts that wish to move in the direction of full-day kindergarten, districts that recognize the need but that face financial constraints,” she said.
“I firmly believe that approving this bill will help more children achieve grade level expectation and be more successful during their education, which will reduce the number of children falling behind and needing special education services that are ultimately more costly,” she said.
If enacted into law, the bill requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to report to the General Assembly and governor on the progress of the initiative by May 1, 2013, and on an annual basis by May 1 of each year thereafter.