The Board of Ed approved a Full Day Kindergarten program at the February 12th meeting. This will be contingent on the Budget being passed in the April Elections.
The Oakland Board of Education has been holding meetings to review the kindergarten program offered in Oakland’s three elementary schools.
The agenda for the work session scheduled for February 12th indicates they are on the verge of recommending Oakland adopt full day kindergarten.
The subject of full day kindergarten as been a matter of discussion for years in Oakland. Franklin Lakes in 2004 implemented 3 days of full kindergarten, and Wyckoff recently implemented a similar plan.
In March of 2012 parents confronted Oakland’s board of education on the situation in Oakland, and expressed concerns that Oakland children were not being afforded the same opportunities as their future high school peers.
Supporters for a full day kindergarten program got a boost when Herbert Stride, an advocate for full day kindergarten, lost the election by a mere 12 votes. ( There are approximately 8,600 registered voters in Oakland, 847 voted in the April election)
As recently as the beginning semester in 2012, parents continued to approach the board of education pressing the issue of full day kindergarten. The board responded, as they have in the past, that the major issue is a facilities issue, and that voters have rejected referendums in the past to fund the building of additional classroom space.
It’s unclear if the proposed recommendation on the February 12th Work Session agenda has addressed the logistical facility issues involved with providing full day kindergarten.
A healthy debate on the benefits of full day kindergarten has played out around the country for the last decade. The long-term benefits of a full day kindergarten are difficult to establish, and this fact is proffered by opponents concerned with the additional costs; but, the short term benefits are definitive.
Many students enrolled in private full day programs enter first grade being able to read and are then capable of pursuing more advanced work; and, in certain subjects these benefits can continue to register up through 3rd or 4th grade.
Proponents of full day kindergarten point to this as an argument that full day kindergarten levels the playing field between those who can afford private schools and those who cannot. Educators also use these findings to the support the financial investment by arguing that full day kindergarten can mitigate the expense for additional remedial efforts as children proceed into 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades.
Also, the trend towards standardized testing has made school more competitive to produce higher scoring students. Whether this competition produces any tangible improvements in education is still a matter of debate, but it can mean the difference as to whether additional funding becomes available – e.g. Race To The Top.
Another issue, expressed by Oakland parents, is the sharing of regional high schools with Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes. Parents, conscious that their children will be attending the same high school as children from neighboring towns, are eager that they receive the same opportunities as those children.
The issue of economics also plays a role in that many parents enroll their children in either full day kindergarten programs or supplemental programs, and the availability of the public schools offering this opportunity would provide a less expensive option.
The role of economics in the decision making process has had limited debate with some economists saying the investment does not lead to better students, and other saying that it serves the broader economic realities of working families.
Links:
http://southington.patch.com/articles/school-board-seeks-hard-evidence-that-all-day-kindergarten-would-bring-results
http://www.northjersey.com/news/149000795_Voters_OK__25_8M_tax_levy__incumbents_welcomed_back.html?page=all
http://ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB_Spring_2005_Full_Day_Kindergarten.pdf
http://www.eoionline.org/education/reports/FullStoryOnFullDay-Jul07.pdf
http://www.northjersey.com/news/144785715_Full-day_program_sought.html?page=all
http://www.oaklandschoolsnj.org/subsite/dist/page/meeting-scheduleminutes-1213-2018
http://www.eoionline.org/education/reports/FullStoryOnFullDay-Jul07.pdf
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-04/news/ct-x-kindergarten-0404-20120404_1_full-day-kindergarten-full-day-students-for-first-grade
http://www.ernweb.com/public/942.cfm
http://trumbull.patch.com/articles/full-day-kindergarten-an-educational-or-economic-decision
I remember when my kids were in kindergarten (full day @ OLPH) and the 1st grade teachers told us how they found that the kids coming from full day kindergarten were more prepared for 1st grade than those who weren’t. To me, this is a no-brainer. Between arrivals and departures plus settling in time, it ends up as 2 hours of actual learning. This is just not enough. The kids need full day kindergarten to prepare for 1st grade and beyond. Part-time kindergarten is glorified babysitting and that’s not what the kids need.
I hope they do, soon. It will benefit many people in town and more importantly, our children…
As a parent of a four year old who will be starting kindergarten next year I’m against this! Kids need to be kids longer!! Part time kindergarten is not glorifed babysitting. They learn plenty. More time spend with mom and siblings is much better for kids this little. The rest of their life they will spend in school!! I will be fighting against this.
I’m not sure what “kids need to be kids longer” means. I mean going to school, being with peers, learning, playing etc… is what being a kid is all about, no? “More time spent with mom and siblings (that’s assuming they have siblings), indicates that you are perhaps financially fortunate enough to be a stay at home…unfortunately, that luxury is not afforded to most working class parents. Having a full day kindergarten eases the financial strain on working class families who need to shell out thousands a month for private school, because nobody is home to watch them.
And I’m not sure what spending the rest of your life in school means…don’t most graduate college at 22 years old, give or take. Yes going for an MD or doctorate means additional years, but that’s not the masses and surely doesn’t constitute rest of your life…seriously
and BTW, school children get holidays and additional days off including the summer…so there’s PLENTY of time available to catch up…
I agree with you Liz ~’ Let kids be kids’. I too have a 4yr. old that I would love to have stay home with me longer… But at the risk of them struggling to keep up with thier peers that doesn’t seem fair. Not everyone can afford an enrichment program at a private preschool. That doesn’t provide an equal ‘playing field’ for all children. It should be unanimous…
I am definitely in support of a full day of Kindergarten in Oakland. Approximately 60 percent of America’s children attend full-day kindergarten and, in addition to learning the joys of reading and writing, they learn to get along with each other and share with one another…much of which seems to be lacking from what I see on the playgrounds and at indoor play spaces. I also am a firm believer that kids are much more like sponges when they are very young – my 6 year old son is reading on a second grade level and loving it as a result of attending a full-day kindergarten at a private facility. Kids can still be kids with other kids in the class during recess and in socializing outside of the classroom…and is not “glorified” babysitting. It has been proven that full day kindergarten can boost student performance, access and attainment later in school….and in life in general.
I will be voting for full day kindergarten. There is not enough time for the children to get acclimated for the day and learn in 1/2 day kindergarten. My reasoning is not just the monetary, although I will be saving $7000.00 not having to enroll my child in a private full day program.
This is the right thing to do for our little ones. Oakland is finally entering the 21st century in its thinking with regards to full day kindergarten.
About time!
As an individual who works in a school district I can say that there are so many developmental reasons to have full day kindergarten! It allows the children time to experience academic work, specials (music, art, PE), opportunities to play and explore, and to spend sufficient time on current math and reading programs.
Additionally , it is imperative that we stay on par with our adjacent towns Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff, both of which we share high schools with.
As a mother of a child who is kindergarten eligible next, year, this is great news (hoping budgets pass and staff/space are approved!).
It is a disgrace that we do not have full day kindergarten given the amount of money that we pay in school taxes in this town and NJ as a whole………I am sure that most folks can agree on this and we need to keep pushing. No more excuses from the board of education, just make it happen
This is something Oakland has needed for a long time. There is a need within the community, there are endless educational benefits to these children, there is room in the schools and this brings Oakland in line with what most other local school districts are already doing. Why have we been shortchanging our kids by not having all-day kindergarten? Kids who went to private all-day kindergartens have demonstrated that they are much better prepared for 1st grade then those who have not gone– in regards to social skills and basic academics. We must all vote for the budget this April–its for the kids.
I respectfully disagree with the opinion that full day Kindergarten students are more prepared than 1/2 day students. My children all went through 1/2 day kindergarten in Oakland (within the past 10 years) and were/are as prepared. I do not think that is a valid argument.