All day, every day Kindergarten?

While I am not officially here for another few months, I thought I would ask your thoughts.

Michigan is mandating all day, every day K next year, when the girls will start. Not mandating, per se, but schools will lose lots of money if they do not do it. Anyway, our public school is going that direction and I am not sure I really want the girls in all day every day at age 5. I don't need them to be in, we have a great situation with my MIL watching them while I work part time, so that's not an issue. They are currently in preschool., 3 afternoons a week. They are exhausted on those nights. I worry how they will be after more hours and no breaks in between days going to school.

Our other option is a Christian school in the area, but i dont know if they are doing half or full days yet. I will call them soon to find out. But with that, there is transportation to worry about, along with the tuition.

If you have a child or had a child in all day, every day K, how did it work out for you and them? If you had a choice, which way would you choose?

Thanks!

 

I was in your shoes not long ago. This is the first year that our school (and all of the other local schools) have gone with all day K. I was very unhappy about it and looked into every possible other option. We can't really afford private school (and most all of them have all day K as well), so my only other choice would have been to homeschool for the first year & then start them in Grade 1 next year. I gave that option some serious thought & almost went with it. The only thing that made me choose to send them was the social aspect. I had a hard time with both of them adjusting to preschool, but they finally did & I was afraid that if I kept them home with me for a full year that, when I sent them for Grade 1, I would be back to square 1 with them having to adjust to being away from me all over again.

Anyway, they are in all day K. I was worried that it would be too much for them & they would be exhausted but, if I am honest, I will admit that they have adjusted to it beautifully. Probably better than I have. I still miss them being here. But they are happy & love going to school and it has all worked out just fine. The only thing I did was not enroll them in any outside activities for the first few months of school, so that after school they just had down time. I didn't want them over scheduled. All in all, I was worried for nothing, I guess!

 

My oldest in in Junior Kindergarten this year, he turned 4 on Nov 20th and he is in all day everyday, with daycare before and after school. They do get a nap in the afternoon after lunch in the Junior and Senior Kindergarten rooms. Personally it works for him. He loves school and these 2 weeks of being off for Christmas break he has asked me every morning if he is going to school or not. Me personally I think it is a good thing, but may not be right for every kid.

 

I was also worried about sending my two to all day kindergarten. I didn't have any other options other than private school but like you said, the tuition was something to worry about. My twins turned 5 in May and went to K the following September. They took right to it. They never had an issue with it, in fact they actually loved going. (They still love school!) It was definitely harder for me to adjust to them being gone all day. They did go to preschool 5 days a week for a half day.

 

Mine are in all day everyday. They were already not taking naps so it wasn't a big issue here.

 

this! Mine were in 3 day per week preschool (all day) and they did fine with it...they will adjust quicker than you will! The only thing I don't like is the K grade eats lunch at 10:45 - so by the time they get home from school they're ready to eat a gazelle (even with an afternoon snack)...so I keep plenty of fruit and crackers on hand and it works out.

 

I'm disappointed that in our county, it's NOT full day K. Or at least having the option of full day K. Where I'm from in FL, there is full day everyday voluntary pre-Kindergarten provided by the school district, and full day K. My two are in full day pre-K now, I'm sure they'd be fine with full day K, but they don't have that opportunity.

 

Many suburbs around me are moving towards full day Kind. Unfortunately the boys school is half day,,,2/12 hrs and within that time is snack and recess and some days specials. There is very little time for academics and that really bothers me. If I was not a teacher, I know they would be very behind. THey have been going to preschool since 2 so they are more than ready for full day.

 

Mine were all day every day by that age. Our school system (England) is different but basically how it works is that children go to Reception from the September after they turn 4. Receptions do not do naps. My twins have February and April birthdays so that meant they were just over and just under 4 1/2 when they started school. It's pretty normal for schools here to do a gradual transition to full day over a month or two but they were all in full time by November.

It did take them a couple of weeks to adjust but they were all fine after that, of course none of them had napped since before they were 3. It's so much the norm here that I wouldn't even think twice about a 5 year old being in all day. I bet your girls would do fine once they got used to the routine.

 

All schools here in Maryland are all day K (in fact they have been since 2007 when it was state mandated). So we had no choice in the matter. It is a long day and my kids were tired at the beginning, but after the first month it has been fine. :good: I am amazed at all they do at school everyday, it is pretty academic. Mine have not napped since age 3, so that was not a factor for us. Selfishly I will say that I like all day K for the fact that I can get everything done and not feel rushed. :good: I have even been able to tackle some big projects that I would not have been able to with 1/2 day.

I really can't say which I would choose if I could since I had no choice at all, my mind has always just known they would be in all day K. In preparation for this they did attend preschool 5 days a week last year, but it was only 2.5 hours each day.

 

Mine are in 1/2 day pre k 5 days a week. Then they go to the sitter's house where she does activities and crafts. I thought they'd be exhausted, but they adjusted really well. They are so excited about going to kinder full day next year and riding the bus.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm afraid there will be a lot of play and downtime, so honestly, if it is like Amy's, I think I would be ok with it.

As always, you guys are right, they will adjust no matter what,, and maybe it is just me being selfish, thinking I had another year before they were gone all the time! But, I will enjoy the free time if they go all day!

I appreciate the feedback. It'll be interesting however it ends up!

Edited for typos.

 

Abby and Gabe are in all day K this year (we live in South East MI). But, they were used to going to full day preschool 3 days/week and then 5 days a week, 1/2 days last year for young 5's K. Honestly, my kids were fine with the adjustment to all day school. They do have a short rest time in the afternoon (just 15 minutes or so - which my kids hate, but oh well). They are moving so much during the day that I think it's almost harder to get in the curriculum in 1/2 day programs anymore. Between specials, library, snacks, recess, etc. the 1/2 day kids are really only in the room for a little over an hour.

 

Personally, I loved all day K because it gave them time to learn and because there isn't much you learn in K, things could be repeated the same day to reinforce the lesson. I am in the same county as Bex and we don't have all day K. There is a movement to make it all day but I doubt that will happen before H&J end up in public school. We will again do private K and pray that we get into 1st grade.

 

I live in North Fl.- We have had all day K since the 80's, so I was very surprised to hear that many place across the US only offer 1/2! My girls attend full day PK 8:20-2:20, and the transition to K was simple for them 8:20-2:42. The first month they were tired and down for bed by 7:30 each night.
Until about 7 years ago, the K classes in my county did take a short nap/rest time for 20 mins. Due to the intense curriculum standards that have been implemented that break was cut from the day.

 

I'm so jealous that most of you are having full-day K! In our case they go by school district in each town whether half or full day for K depending on the school budget (fund). I would have really like for the school mandatory give the Parents the option of full or part-time. My kids have been in preschool since 2 yrs. The last 2 years they have been going to school 5-days a week @ 2-1/2 hour. So, my twins IS ready for full day. But then again, it would have been NICE to keep them 1/2 day so I can spent time with them. On the other hand, it is much harder to entertain them for the rest of the day especially when my twins' no longer napping. And most park district's activities are either AM between 9 to 11 AM or after 4 PM. The other option is have them to sign up afternoon activities at our local YMCA. But then again, good example, my twins' want to do soccer so I checked with the YMCA schedule and as usual there is NO other kids participating the hours for my kids to sign up/play time. It would be very boring if it just the 2 of them in class.

The other reason I wanted the school to go mandatory is to give the Parents the options because both parents' have to work full day. I have a friend who really have no one to rely on for pick/drop off especially for part-time K when both set of Parents work full time and not enough time to get home to do this and that. And sadly, they have to pay MORE $ toward to before/after school day care situation. Also, some kids are ready for full day and some are not, so I like to see that option!

My twins' are going to K this Fall (they'll be turning 6 right after the start of school) as they missed the cut off date within 4 week! Their birthday is Sept 30th when cut off date is Sept 1st, ugh! And like everyone else says, kids can adjust so can we too! {wink} {wink}

 

We are in Michigan (suburb of Detroit) and my girls are attending full day kindergarten. They did go to preschool/daycare 3 full days a week, so they were sort of used to long days. The bus picks them up at 8:45am and they are dropped off at 4:25pm (lunch 12:45pm, 2 snacks). They did get a rest time after lunch, although after the new year one of the teachers has stopped that and reads to them from a chapter book instead during that time period.

The first several weeks they were definitely tired, but after that they were fine. They love school and are doing great. There is so much academics in kindergarten now, I really don't know how they'd fit it all in in a half day setting.

We went from paying the equivalent of a second mortgage payment in daycare/month to paying nothing, so I obviously love full day kindi for that. But I also think that times have changed and what they are learning in kindi is stuff I think I learned in first or second grade, so I think a full day is important to keep them at the level of education they'll need to be competitive in this new age.

ETA: Mine have not napped since about age 3 anyways.

 

K is 1/2 day where we live, but the district I teach in has all full day. My girls come with me to my school so they can attend full day K. They spent 2 years in preschool, 2 days a week the first year and 4 days a week the last year for 3 hours per day. They were extra tired the first few weeks, but have settled into the routine. Standards for what is taught in K have increased greatly since most of us were in K. I honestly do not know how our home district gets kids meeting all those standards in only 3 hours a day!

 

I can see from your perspective that it would be good to have a choice, but all-day K is a godsend for families with two working parents and no good child-care options. We have half-day with a full-day option, but we have to pay for the other half.

I have to admit that even though mine were used to being in FT daycare, the switch to K has still been exhausting. They can handle it, but there isn't time for much else, which includes unfortunately any kind of downtime on weekdays. It's pretty much get up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, go to bed.

Their half-day of actual "kindergarten" (the optional half is called "kindergarten enrichment" and is much more-play based) is very crammed. I have the schedule right here (they are in p.m.):

12:05-12:35: calendar (talking about what day it is, what season, etc.)
12:35-1:15: literacy
1:15-1:45: projects
1:45-2:00: snack/recess
2:00-2:45: specials (different each day: reading buddies, art, music, PE, library)
2:45-2:55: pack up and dismissal
(ETA: They go to the YMCA after-school program from 2:55 to 5:30 when I pick them up.)

It would be nice if they could do all the same stuff but not have to run from one thing to the next so often.

 

i'm just the opposite! I've been SEARCHING MN for all day K! My boys won't go til age 6 so I'm not at all concerned about the day being too long. I'm sooo not wanting to waste time at a 3 hour day for K!! So, there are some places here that have all day K and I'm going to beg borrow and steal to get them in there!! It's 2 years away and I'm already worried!

People here covet that spot!

 

I admit, I, too was worried about all day K. My girls adjusted faster and much better than my son at their age. My son was not used to going to school all day. He had never went to preschool only daycare, but the school schedule was just so exhausting for him. He would be aslepp before I could even get dinner on the table. My girls, however, adjusted wonderfully. They had all day preschool 4 days a week, so when they got to K it really wasn't that big of a difference. From day 1 they have gotten off the bus happy and ready to let off energy at home. This is a remarkable difference from their preschool year where they were just dragging off the bus every afternoon. I really think there is an adjustment period, whether it be from preschool all day, or from the first days of attending all day K, then after that, kids usually do fairly well with the schedule.

 

My two were in half day and honestly I wished they would have had full day. Being in the classroom one day a week I was able to see how it ran. There was NO down time. It felt pretty frantic of a pace. They had to pack in as much as possible into those few hours, try to teach to each kid, bring those that were somewhat behind up to the rest of the class, pay attention to those that were ahead so they did not get "bored" and have a snack, recess, pe, library. It was frantic. It makes me tire just writing it out and thinking about it again. It also is nicer to have them adjust to longer day at that level rather than 1st when they are expected to be ready to learn. Also, there are so many kids that are already in longer preschools or daycares it really would make sense to lengthen the day if the funding is available. Good luck with your choices.

 

None of my kids had any trouble adjusting to all-day, but our school still did naps in K.

 

My children start Primary Year 1 (5-11 years old) when they were 4 years 8 months old (they go by birth year and they are end of Nov babies) and they're leaving the house by school bus at 7.23 am and come back around 3.35 pm every day. The first weeks was a little tough, especially because there is less play and more learning in Primary but combined with early bed times they adjusted within a week or 6. The school year before they did 3 mornings + 2 full days.