This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Is All-Day Kindergarten for All Students Coming to Meriden?

The Board of Education's Curriculum Committee Thursday night recommended full-day kindergarten for all Meriden students starting next school year, but the board still needs to OK it.

Update – Nov. 16

The Board of Education did not discuss all-day kindergarten at its on Tuesday night, but is reportedly taking time to research the issue.

Original Story – Nov. 11

Find out what's happening in Meridenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Board of Education’s Curriculum Committee Thursday night recommended full-day kindergarten for all Meriden students starting next school year. The measure will go before the full board for approval on Tuesday, November 15.

The move would come at the expense of the city’s Apple pre-K program, currently funded by the school board. Apple provides free preschool, including transportation, for 210 students who are eligible based on academic need.

Find out what's happening in Meridenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As part of the proposed plan, all half-day kindergarten classes and all classes now used for the Apple program would become full-day kindergarten classes. Apple teachers and paraprofessionals would transition from preschool to kindergarten. Four or five additional teachers and an equal number of paraprofessionals would need to be hired to keep kindergarten classes below 25 students. Funding for those positions would have to be reallocated from other positions in the district, possibly affecting class sizes at higher grades.

In outlining a rationale for the plan, School Superintendent Dr. Mark Benigni said, “Really, it’s the philosophical question: Will all-day kindergarten make a difference?” Evidence from John Barry School’s all-day kindergarten pilot shows that it will, he added. Kids who attend all-day kindergarten score higher on standardized assessments in third grade, Benigni pointed out.

Right now, 12% of Meriden students attend all-day kindergarten. That’s a very low percentage for an urban school district, Benigni said. A full-day kindergarten for all students will do more good than a preschool program for some, he contended.

“Apple is a great program, but economically, it’s not a wise way to use our dollars,” Benigni said. “We provide door-to-door transportation. That’s unheard of in pre-K.”

When the change takes place, the school system will still provide free preschool for children with special needs. Parents of all other city children will have to seek out and pay for preschool on their own. According to Benigni, the school board is working with the city’s School Readiness Council to put together a list of preschool options for interested parents. That list will include private preschools as well as programs with sliding-scale fees offered through social service agencies like Easter Seals, Catholic Charities and the YMCA.

All city elementary schools will house their own full-day kindergarten programs except for Casimir Pulaski School, which Benigni described as “bursting at the seams.” Pulaski students will attend kindergarten at Hanover Elementary, which is currently undergoing construction of an addition to house the expanded kindergarten program.

The Hanover addition was originally scheduled to be completed before the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, but is behind schedule. It is not expected to be complete until January of 2013. Despite the delay, Hanover will have room to house all kindergartners at the start of next school year, said Associate Superintendent Robert Angeli. Some temporary classrooms may need to be used until the addition is finished, he said.

Professional development will be provided for all teachers transitioning to full-day kindergarten, Angeli added. Besides the expense of hiring more teachers and paraprofessionals at the kindergarten level, there will be additional expenses for supplies, he said, but transportation is not expected to add any costs.

Of the shift to all-day kindergarten, Angeli said, “It’s what’s best for the kids. We have data that shows it.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?