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Archive for the ‘Full-day kindergarten’ Category

Some families can’t find free, full-day kindergarten programs

Posted in Child care, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, National, tagged #FullDayK on September 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Ksenia Chernaya, Pexels

Parents can’t always count on kindergarten. That’s the moral of a story told in the Atlantic.

“At age 5 and 6, children are at a crucial stage in brain development,” the Atlantic’s article says. “Educators, advocates, researchers, and state officials largely agree that full-day [kindergarten] programming is beneficial for children, both academically and socially. Studies have shown that kids enrolled in full-day offerings make greater advances in literacy than those enrolled in half-day ones. These gains are maintained for years.”

In other words, free, full-day kindergarten programs ought to be easy to find.

However the growth of kindergarten in public schools, the article explains, has “happened gradually. It arrived in the 19th century as a privately funded educational venture. By the start of World War I, the grade had become part of all major city public-school districts, and by 1965, more than 2 million children across 40 states were enrolled. Most early kindergarten programs offered only half-day coverage, but in the past several decades, full-day programs have become more common. The grade got more attention in the early 2000s with the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act.”

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Some families still have to pay for full-day kindergarten

Posted in Cost and affordability, Diversity equity and inclusion, Family engagement, Full-day kindergarten, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, Pre-K to 3, Strategies for Children, tagged #FullDayK on May 19, 2022| 1 Comment »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

In most of Massachusetts, full-day kindergarten classes are a free part of what local public schools provide.

But as our past intern Cheyanne Nichter found when she researched the issue, there are 38 school districts in Massachusetts that have charged tuition for full-day kindergarten during the last few years. Nichter’s work helped us develop a fact sheet on full-day kindergarten tuition costs.

Kindergarten enrollment, as the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education explains, “is encouraged but not required in Massachusetts. All school districts are required to provide free half day kindergarten to families but many provide a full day option (either free or tuition based).”

Charging tuition for kindergarten creates a financial burden for parents and an inequitable situation since the amounts parents pay vary by district.

In Acton-Boxborough, for example, kindergarten tuition was $4,500 in the 2019-2020 school year. There was no kindergarten program in 2020-2021. And the tuition for the current 2021-2022 year is $3,750.

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Tracking full-day kindergarten trends

Posted in Full-day kindergarten, Massachusetts Cities and Towns, National, Strategies for Children on July 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Source: Strategies for Children

Full-day kindergarten – some children have access to it, but across the country many don’t.

In fact, “less than third of all states even require full-day kindergarten,” Education Week reports, adding:

“That’s one of the findings in a 50-state comparison guide to policies surrounding kindergarten through 3^rd grade…” The guide was released by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Education Commission of the States.

“The newly updated report, which was released last month, finds that that only 15 states and the District of Columbia require full-day kindergarten.”

As the Children’s Defense Fund argues, “Unequal access to publicly funded full-day and full-week, high-quality kindergarten means too many young children lose a critical opportunity to develop and strengthen foundational skills necessary for success in school and lifelong learning.” (more…)

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Full-day Kindergarten Trends in Massachusetts

Posted in Full-day kindergarten, MA state budget, Strategies for Children on September 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

Strategies for Children has updated its statewide kindergarten maps and charts. The latest data show 95 percent of kindergarten students enrolled in full-day programs, up from only 29 percent in 2000, and continuing the long-term trend towards full-day.

This school year, 56 districts charge tuition for full-day kindergarten, down from 77 in 2009-2010 school year.

However not all kindergarten trends are positive. A new survey by Strategies for Children shows that program quality may be declining for districts that previously received Kindergarten Quality grants from the state.

Kindergarten grants were great for Massachusetts. School districts used the funds to plan growth and expand high-quality programs, which helped the state achieve near-universal full-day kindergarten. But in fiscal year 2017, kindergarten grants were cut from the state budget. (more…)

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How States can Improve the Transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten

Posted in Assessments, Family engagement, Full-day kindergarten, National, Philanthropy, Pre-kindergarten on July 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

What would make the transition from pre-K to kindergarten easier?

Four states are trying to find out, according to a recent report from New America called, “Connecting the Steps: State Strategies to Ease the Transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten.”

The path from pre-K to kindergarten can be “fraught with stress and uncertainty for many children and their parents,” New America says in a policy paper. Kindergarten’s days are often longer, and the curriculum can focus more on academics.

“This transition is significant for parents as well. Contact with teachers is often more formalized and less frequent than in a pre-K classroom. There is often less emphasis on parent-teacher and parent-parent contact than before. This can leave parents feeling out of the loop… and can lead to less parental involvement in the classroom.”

While schools and districts have to ease the transition, “states can actively encourage intentional, local efforts to smooth transitions to kindergarten.”

To show what states can do, (more…)

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Local Officials React to the State’s Full-Day Kindergarten Funding Cuts

Posted in Early educators, Full-day kindergarten, MA governor, MA Legislature, MA state budget, Pre-kindergarten, tagged #earlyed, #mapoli on July 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children

The Massachusetts FY17 state budget eliminates funding for full-day kindergarten grants, an important program that supports kindergarten quality and districts’ transition from half- to full-day programs. Now local officials are responding to the news.

“More than $18 million has been slashed from a state program to expand full-day kindergarten, which could put a new strain on school districts’ already cash-strapped coffers,” the Gloucester Times reports.

“If unchanged, the cuts essentially gut funding for a full-day kindergarten program, forcing communities that depend on the money to trim their own budgets or otherwise make up the costs.

“School administrators are lobbying to restore the funding.

“Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said the cuts will hurt, especially because many school districts have been expecting that money to cover full-time kindergarten costs for the coming year.” (more…)

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Continuing the Campaign for Full-Day Kindergarten

Posted in Cost and affordability, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, tagged #FullDayK on May 26, 2016| 1 Comment »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

“Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan said it took snow-removal savings from a nearly snowless winter for the city to be able fund free, full-day kindergarten back in 2012,” Wicked Local Melrose reported earlier this month.

“And while most kids in the commonwealth do have access to full-day kindergarten — 93 percent, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education — for many it comes at a price, one that not everyone can pay. The result: some children across the commonwealth are reaping the benefits, and others are not.”

That’s a shame because as Amy O’Leary, director of our Early Education for All Campaign, told Wicked Local, “We know that full-day kindergarten makes a difference… It’s really about more time for quality instruction, more time for teacher and student interaction, learning the routines of the day. If you think about two-and-half hours versus six hours, there’s just more time for instruction and learning at your own pace.” (more…)

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Governor Baker Releases FY17 State Budget Proposal

Posted in Dept. of Early Education and Care, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, MA governor, MA Legislature, MA state budget, Pre-kindergarten, tagged #ece, #mapoli on January 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Governor Charlie Baker. Photo: State of Massachusetts website.

Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker released a $39.6 billion state budget proposal for fiscal year 2017.

“This year’s budget sets the table for fiscal responsibility and a strong economic environment, without raising taxes or fees on our hardworking families,” Baker said in a press release. Baker is also trying to close a $635 million budget gap.

This proposal “continues the multi-year effort of bringing state spending in line with revenues, significantly reducing the state’s reliance on one-time solutions, and budgeting for a sizable deposit into the stabilization fund.” (more…)

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The Rennie Center Examines Social-Emotional Learning in its Annual Condition of Education Report

Posted in Assessments, Cognitive development, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Developmentally appropriate practice, Early educators, Family engagement, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, K-12, MA governor, MA Legislature, MA state budget, Pre-K to 3, Pre-kindergarten, Professional development & preparation, Reading proficiency, Social-emotional development on January 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Chad d’Entremont, executive director of the Rennie Center. Photo: Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

“Cognitive and non-cognitive skills are inextricably linked,” Harvard’s Nonie Lesaux said during a panel discussion at the Condition of Education event hosted by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy.

There’s a growing consensus in education that children can’t develop strong cognitive skills without non-cognitive “soft skills” such as focus, persistence, and getting along with others. Indeed, the two categories of skills may be more linked than we realize.

Last week, the Rennie Center released the findings of its 2016 “Condition of Education in the Commonwealth” report at an event in Boston’s Omni Parker House Hotel. This year’s report focused on social-emotional learning, a hot topic among educators, parents, and researchers. The topic was so hot that #COE2016 was trending on Twitter during the event.

Covering education trends from birth to college and beyond, Rennie’s work includes a focus on high-quality early education. (more…)

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Better Birth-to-Third-Grade Polices Could Boost Children’s Reading Skills

Posted in Achievement gap, Assessments, Curriculum, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Early educators, Early Learning Challenge, English language learners, Federal, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, Higher Education, Infants and toddlers, Literacy, National, Pre-K to 3, Pre-kindergarten, Professional development & preparation, Reading proficiency, Research, Standards and curriculum on December 3, 2015| 1 Comment »

Photo: Micaela Bedell for Strategies for Children

States face a persistent problem: Classrooms full of children who struggle to read.

“Only about one-third of all children attending school in the United States can read proficiently by fourth grade,” the New America foundation explains on its website. “The numbers are even more dismaying for our most vulnerable students. How can state policymakers lessen the achievement gap and improve literacy outcomes for all children?”

To find answers, New America has taken a look at all 50 states’ birth-to-third-grade policies.

The resulting report is a ranking of states called, “From Crawling to Walking: Ranking States on Birth- 3rd Grade Policies that Support Strong Readers.”

“Accompanying the research are interactive maps of state progress displayed via New America’s data visualization and policy analysis tool, Atlas.” This is an easy, graphic way to access findings for individual states. (more…)