Full-Day vs. Half-Day Kindergarten Which is more effective? By: Katherine Kessinger

History The concept of Kindergarten was created by German educator Friedrich Froebel Froebel wanted to develop a program that would stress the importance of the natural growth of children through play In 1837 he developed the first kindergarten, and in the 1850’s kindergartens began to be established throughout the United States and Western Europe Froebel never gave much attention the length of a kindergarten day, and kindergarten in the United States actually began as a full day program After World War II a shortage of qualified teachers, building space, and the idea that five-year-olds weren’t ready for full-day kindergarten caused the half day program to become popular

Characteristics of Half- Day Kindergarten Half-Day kindergarten programs usually last 2 ½ hours Half-Day programs are divided into AM and PM classes In the morning one set of students comes into a class, and after lunch a new set of students comes in till the end of the day

Characteristics of Full- day Kindergarten Full-Day Kindergarten extends the time the students are in school from 2 ½ hours to 6 hours, allowing more time things like large group, small group, center activities, active play, movement activities and hands on investigations It’s goal is to allow children more time to learn in a less rushed atmosphere

Full-Day Kindergarten Advantages Provides a slower paced less hurried environment Students receive and early introduction to the reading and writing process Teachers have more time to work individually with students, and are better able to address unique needs More opportunities for group activities, and socialization Helps prepare kids for first grade by getting them adjusted to a full-day setting Disadvantages Estimated to cost half a million dollars to make the transition in each school Many school do not have the classroom space for the doubled amount of teachers needed Some believe that there is no great difference in the programs, and that the money could be spent on other things Increases the work load of teachers because they now have to plan activities for an entire day

Half-day Kindergarten Advantages Provides high quality education for children while getting them acquainted to school Provides continuity and structure without to much stress Considering the attention span and level of interest of a five-year-old it is plenty of time in school Disadvantages Children are disrupted half way through the day to move from one program to another Parents are inconvenienced by having to provide transportation and child care Teachers are more stressed, and it is harder for children to learn in less than three hours Does not produce well rounded students because there is not enough time for music, and art

Which is more effective??? Many studies have been done to answer this question but there has been controversy over the validity of them. There is however a lot of evidence and support in favor of full-day kindergarten. Students have been more likely to score higher on standardized reading and math tests, and there has been increased attendance. Teachers and parents seem to be in favor of the full-day program. It is still hard however for school districts to decide whether it is worth the cost because on some standardized tests such as science half-day students out performed full-day students

Conclusion States should leave full-day programs optional until further investigation is done “Simply adding more time to kindergarten programs that are not successful will not make them more successful. There need to be assurances that the programs are well devised, executed, and staffed by properly trained teachers”- Mark Ginsberg, Executive director of NAEYC