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Posted on Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 5:59 a.m.

All-day kindergarten: Washtenaw County schools weigh space, funding, benefits

By Danielle Arndt

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Update: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of all-day kindergarten programs at Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Nationally, more kindergarteners are facing an all-day schedule, but there are still about 700 children locally who do not have that opportunity as administrators grapple with space and funding issues.

More than 60 percent of 4 and 5 year olds in the United States are enrolled in an all-day kindergarten program.

Five of Washtenaw County's 10 districts still use primarily half-day schedules, although Dexter and Saline community schools recently decided to make the switch to all-day kindergarten in 2012-2013.

Numerous studies have concluded full-day kindergarten increases success in grades one through three. It also helps to close the performance gap between the rich and poor in math and literacy, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

However, for cash-strapped districts in Washtenaw County, it can’t be solely about what is best for kids — especially if the Legislature votes in favor of reducing the per-pupil allowance for part-time students.

“Districts have to look at it from a financial perspective,” said Scott Menzel, superintendent of the intermediate school district. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of K-12 education today.”

Space and million-dollar deficits

At Ann Arbor Public Schools, six of the district’s 21 elementaries offer full-day programs: Allen, Bryant, Carpenter, Mitchell, Northside and Pittsfield schools. The Bryant, Mitchell and Pittsfield programs, implemented nine years ago, are the oldest of the all-day programs in Washtenaw County.

Of Ann Arbor’s nearly 1,200 kindergarteners, approximately 430 — or 36 percent —are enrolled at these three schools. Of the remaining 770 students, 240 attend a tuition-based, non-instructional “extended day” program, while the rest are on a traditional half-day schedule.

District spokeswoman Liz Margolis said the cost of implementing additional full-day programs at other schools is being explored.

“Right now, we are doing an assessment of the available space at every elementary school,” she said. “That will be the first step in determining the all-day K switch. … But this is something the district is seriously looking at.”

She said she is unsure whether the administration will consider switching for the upcoming school year or not. AAPS also is facing a $14-million budget shortfall.

Backtracking and weighing bad options

Whitmore Lake, which launched a full-day kindergarten schedule about six years ago, went back to a traditional half-day format prior to 2010-2011.

“It was a purely financial decision and was a very difficult decision to make,” said Superintendent Kimberley Hart. “We had few other options.”

She said the district looked at reducing class sizes but in an attempt to do the most good for the greatest number of students in all grades, decided to save the $120,000 by reverting to half-day classes.

Hart said if the Legislature votes to reduce funding for half-day pupils, Whitmore Lake will have to crunch numbers to determine whether the two teachers it would need to hire to reinstate all-day kindergarten or the loss of its foundation allowance will cost the district less money.

“We are not sure what we’ll do,” she said. “We’ll wait as long as we can (for the Legislature to take a stance) but at a certain point, we’ll have to make a decision to risk going forward with or without (the all-day program) because we’ll have to get classrooms ready.”

Milan is the only other district in Washtenaw County that still uses a half-day schedule. Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Lincoln, Manchester, Chelsea and now Dexter and Saline (for 2012-2013) have switched to full-day programs.

Personal preference

Today, more parents are looking for a full-day program, Hart said, adding sometimes it’s an issue of needing morning or afternoon daycare.

Parents who favor a half-day program often have a parent at home and believe he or she can work with the child or these parents just believe their child is not emotionally or developmentally ready for a full day of class, said Sharon Irvine, director of human resources for Ypsilanti schools and a former elementary principal.

Hart said Whitmore Lake’s kindergarten enrollment numbers may have suffered “a little bit” now that the district no longer offers an all-day option.

Currently, Whitmore Lake has about 80 kindergarteners.

Manchester Community Schools Superintendent Cherie Vannatter said her district has seen a slight increase in kindergarten enrollment since switching. However, she added there is no way to empirically link the count to the full-day program.

Behavioral concerns vs. academic advantages

Irvine said when Ypsilanti schools first went to all-day kindergarten in 2002-2003, the children were very fatigued by the end of the day and had more behavioral issues than the previous year’s kindergarteners.

“It took about a month for those issues that weren’t as pronounced with the half-day schedule to improve,” she said.

However, Irvine added Ypsilanti saw fewer behavioral problems at the first-grade level after children already were accustomed to a full day.

Teachers also had to change the way they taught to incorporate the more structured, heavier curriculum into the morning hours when children were more attentive and less tired, Irvine said.

Kerrie Thomason, kindergarten teacher at the Perry Childhood Development Center in Ypsilanti, described how she has been able to implement more science and social studies lessons into her pupils’ schedule with the extra half day. She said before, the emphasis was on math and reading.

"One thing we really noticed was that children, regardless of ethnicity, were more equally matched in what they were able to do at the end of the year in literacy," Irvine added.

Thomason said not having to break up lessons into smaller segments and leave to attend recess or music — as was often the case with half-day kindergarten — has greatly increased pupils’ retention and comprehension of the material.

Vannatter said all-day kindergarten is necessary in preparing pupils for high school and college. She also said our society mandates it by exposing children to knowledge at an earlier age.

“If you think back 20 years ago, children were coming into kindergarten and learning their colors,” she said. “Well, now they know their colors. We don’t have to spend time on the real basic skills anymore because they are getting those either from home, TV exposure or technology exposure and we are able to jump into the core curriculum faster.”

According to a report by eSchoolNews, a new national study shows about 52 percent of 5 to 8 year olds use smart phones, video iPods, iPads or similar devices, and four in 10 2- to 4-year-olds do too.

Vannatter said children are learning more nowadays and schools need to adjust to children’s expectations and do so in a way that is developmentally appropriate. She believes all-day kindergarten helps fulfill that mission.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

Comments

AMOC

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 4:26 p.m.

The Michigan legislature has been giving school districts the entire "foundation allowance" for kindergartners since the 1970's. That means that for decades now, the districts have been collecting the full amount of per-pupil funding while providing half-day kindergarten. In many districts, including Ann Arbor, they have been charging parents thousands of dollars per school year for "extended-day" kindergarten to cover the other half of the (too short IMO) regular school day which the taxpayers are already paying for. I'm happy to hear the Legislature has warned school districts that they may soon no longer pay for a full day of education when only a half day is provided to students. I'm all for family options, and a public (ie. free) half-day K option should remain available for families who want it. But charging some parents for access to a public school is wrong and should be stopped immediately.

Sarah

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.

The real problem here is the utter inequity when it comes to full day kindergarten "options" in AAPS. Free, full day kindergarten should be an option at all elementary schools. Period. If you don't want your child in a full day program, that's fine, and half day should also be available. But it's ridiculous that I am paying $4500 for my child to have a full day kindergarten experience at our neighborhood school (Thurston) when kids a few miles away at Allen or Northside are getting full day kindergarten for free.

Danielle Arndt

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 2:55 p.m.

This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of all-day kindergarten programs at Ann Arbor Public Schools. AnnArbor.com was originally given an outdated information sheet listing AAPS' kindergarten offerings by district spokeswoman Liz Margolis. We are not sure how the mix up occurred, but a correct, current sheet has since been provided. It is available here: <a href="http://www.a2schools.org/academics/files/kinderoptions1112.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2schools.org/academics/files/kinderoptions1112.pdf</a>. Thank you to our readers for bringing this information to our attention.

Lisa Kane

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 3:52 a.m.

According to our last Superintendent in Waterford, the district already receive the funding for full day kindergarten but they reallocate the funds to the high school (or which ever school needs it most). I think this is outrageous! Especially for those who are paying for full day &quot;enrichment&quot; programs. I see real value in full day K. There are so many kids in my sons 4th grade class who can barely read at grade level and they keep getting scooted along as if nothing is wrong. I would love to see studies that compare reading achievement for those who attend full day rather than half.

a2mom2three

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 2:54 a.m.

I'm not going to express an opinion about 1/2 or whole day kindergarten, because it's such an individual decision, with many factors, that there is unlikely to be a global &quot;right&quot; or &quot;wrong&quot; way. I will say that I think the discussion of a need for more academic rigor in kindergarten is ridiculous. Kids at this age need to learn through play, not academic rigor. However, what I really don't understand is why the extended day option is not perceived as blatantly unethical. Here's how I understand it: Some people pay for all-day kindergarten, and those who can't go to 1/2 day? Seems to me that this sets up a economic class system right there in the kindergarten classroom. It's impossible to keep it confidential, when there is one class that is EDO, and all the rest are 1/2 day. All the kids and teachers and staff will know who can afford the EDO. Then there's this assumption that all-day is better for the child academically (which I don't necessarily agree with), so that expands the potential discrimination to include both a economic status bias and an academic bias. So kid A goes to 1/2 day and kid B goes to full-day. A few years later, a 3rd grade teacher, who knows who went to which class, could easily place expectations on those kids that are unfair. In an ideal world, a teacher wouldn't do it, but then there are peers and other staff to consider as well. I have no problem whatsoever with paid after school care, because that is a supplementary program. It just seems unjust to have a class in a public school that your child can attend only if you pay.

Jane Jetson

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 12:07 a.m.

&quot;Milan is the only other district in Washtenaw County that still uses a half-day schedule. Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Manchester, Chelsea and now Dexter and Saline (for 2012-2013) have switched to a full-day program.&quot; The last time I checked LINCOLN CONSOLIDATED was also a school district in Washtenaw County AND offers full-day kindergarten and has for several years. How about actually collecting ALL the facts before you publish an article?

Danielle Arndt

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 3:54 p.m.

Jane, you are absolutely right: Lincoln is in the WISD and offers full-day kindergarten. The information actually was collected, but I somehow accidentally left Lincoln's name out of the list. My apologies! I assure you it was not intentional. The story has been updated to include Lincoln. Thank you for pointing this out.

hank

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 4:33 p.m.

For several years now the idea of all day everyday kdg. has been kicked around like a soccer ball. Usually it comes down to needing more staff and more money to achieve this goal. For cash strapped districts this is a major problem brought to them compliments of the republicans. So parents call your rep and ask them about this problem.

AMOC

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 4:18 p.m.

Hank- The Michigan legislature has been giving school districts the entire &quot;foundation allowance&quot; for kindergartners since the 1970's. That means the districts have been collecting the full amount of per-pupil funding while providing half-day kindergarten. In many districts, including Ann Arbor, they have been charging parents thousands of dollars per school year for &quot;extended-day&quot; kindergarten for the other half of the (too short) school day which the taxpayers are already paying for. The Republicans have nothing to do with it, aside from saying to school districts that they may soon no longer pay for a full day of education when only a half day is provided to students.

CLX

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 4:02 p.m.

I take issue with the comment that parents who don't want full day kindergarten can't cut the apron strings. Can't folks recognize that different schemes suit different kids, especially when the age range entering kindergarten runs from 4 to well over 6. One could also argue that parents who want full day kindergarten can't hack the actual job of parenting -- let's let the schools do our jobs. But either argument is nonsense, and beside the point of what works for the kid. I also find the push for more school to be especially absurd in a time when adults argue to work at home, have flex schedules, and have part-time schedules -- why are we warehousing our kids when even we don't want the rigidity of a 9-5 schedule? I think choice is optimal - some kids do really well with a full day; it is too much for others. I also think that full-day will lead to more red-shirting, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Kindergarten used to be a transition to school, and it no longer serves that function. Having kids start earlier and do more substantive work earlier does not seem to keep them in school any longer or lead to greater achievements. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't see full time kindergarten being some sort of answer, and it comes at a great cost. I'd rather see the investment in the older years, when kids start to become disinterested in school and real disparities start to appear.

jns131

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 4 p.m.

That is all well in good. But then explain this, why is Great Britain and Asia so far ahead of us? Because they potty train their children by age 2 and send them to school by age 3. Hate to say it, but this is what we need to really be looking at. Keep making the excuses while we end up a third world nation behind everyone else because of the special interests in Washington want to keep us uneducated and behind.

jns131

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 3:09 p.m.

It has been shown that children who are in all day K are better educated then ones who are in half. We too searched for an all day K not because of needing daycare, but because of the benefits of being in school with other children all day. I hate to say it, but most parents who want half day K? Don't want to cut the apron strings too early. Charters are the ones we found with all day K. Which is another reason parents who need daycare look to charters for all day K.

Beth

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 1:14 p.m.

Actually, there are 6 AAPS elementaries that currently offer all-day K for all students - Bryant, Pittsfield, Carpenter, Mitchell, Allen, and Northside. Fact check, AnnArbor.com.........

Danielle Arndt

Mon, Jan 9, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.

@Beth - This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of all-day kindergarten programs at Ann Arbor Public Schools. AnnArbor.com was originally given an outdated information sheet listing AAPS' kindergarten offerings by district spokeswoman Liz Margolis. We are not sure how the mix up occurred, but a correct, current sheet has since been provided. It is available here: <a href="http://www.a2schools.org/academics/files/kinderoptions1112.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2schools.org/academics/files/kinderoptions1112.pdf</a>. Thank you to our readers for bringing this information to our attention.

Danielle Arndt

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.

@Beth - Sorry, the link I tried to provide the first time apparently did not copy. Here it is again: <a href="http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/ins.elementary/files/kindergartenoptions.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/ins.elementary/files/kindergartenoptions.pdf</a>. I will look into the information you have provided. Thank you for your comment.

Beth

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 7:46 p.m.

@Danielle - our kids attend Allen, which is a &quot;curriculum-based, all-day program&quot; like you descrive. Carpenter, Mitchell, Pittsfield, and Bryant also offer this. I have been told that Northside does as well, but I can't say that for certain. Many other schools do offer for-fee or at-risk all day programs, but all 5 Southeast elementaries do offer all-day K for all students, with no half-day options. AAPS apparently is not doing a good job promoting the K programs they actually offer!

Danielle Arndt

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 7:25 p.m.

Beth, actually Bryant, Pittsfield and Mitchell are the only elementary schools that offer true curriculum-based, all-day kindergarten programs. The other all-day programs you are referring to are &quot;extended-day&quot; options. So, yes, the children are at school for a full day with the same teacher, but the second half of the day features activities that are centered around fun and entertainment, such as &quot;drama, cooking, art, movement and other extension activities that characterize the best research in quality childcare,&quot; according to the AAPS website. Here's a link to the AAPS kindergarten options if you are interested in learning more.

CakeRoll

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 1:39 p.m.

Fact check is right. And why weren't (one of) the all-day programs in Ann Arbor interviewed? Here is a district with some all day, some extended, some traditional 1/2-day, a couple of 'funnel-program' where 3 a.m. classes partially funnel into a single p.m. This is something A2PS has been debating for years. I taught A2 Kindergarten for 26 years, the last quarter being extended day option. I saw their literacy and math go up, capabilities with science and social studies go up and comfort level with social issues go up. There were of course the one or two kids who got exhausted but it was one or two over six years! Get in this game, AA!! Find the funds and make the start equitable for all students!

Stephen Lange Ranzini

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 12:42 p.m.

I applaud this development. The research shows that early childhood development works and the more hours that low income children spend in school, the better their graduation rates are later in life. It's tragic that our public schools lose so many children along the way and that 21-23% of our kids graduate as functional illiterates and this will help. Now we just need to implement a &quot;balanced calendar&quot; eliminating the long Summer break (with weeks off spread throughout the year instead of one long break) and send kids to school the same hours as their parents work (9am to 5pm), and the research shows that we can reduce adult illiteracy (and many other social ills like crime and teen pregnancy) by a tremendous amount. If our schools implement these best practices, we will see an influx of people, jobs and wealth. People will move here to get access to public schools that produce great results, driving home prices back up. Because of the internet, many jobs today can be performed from anywhere and people move their jobs to where the quality of life is best for them. By doing these things we can solve a major social justice issue AND increase our wealth and quality of life.

Klayton

Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 5 a.m.

&quot;Early childhood&quot; in the research is referring to preschool (Headstart years) not 5+. There is no evidence that there is more academic learning in a full day versus half day Kindergarten (often there are more breaks and free play time). It would be more beneficial if AAPS had a 1/2 free preschool option for all students in the district (in particular in the lower income areas).

jns131

Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 1:59 a.m.

local? From what I notice when you do take holidays? Your children end up retaking exams on the hi school level because they missed something. Trust me, I know. We are paying for it. Not fun.

jns131

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.

We need to remove a lot of holidays, half days and other days not needed off to keep children educated. 2 months off during the summer is good, but from what we are seeing now? Not good enough.

local

Sun, Jan 8, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.

Balanced calendar cost money, specially if it takes the school year and makes it longer in days and hours like you are proposing. Secondly, cooling these schools cost money and that will need to be an equity issue as we move along (some schools with AC, some without). Ann Arbor parents who say, the heck with the calendar, we are traveling when we want regardless of missing school. Fair for teachers who are being assessed on student achievement? Lots of great ideas, but many issues to work out. I don't think it is as easy as you make it sound.

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