Before, kindergarteners had a break in their day for some physical education. In 2009, they will have time for physical education, art, music, health and lunch.
In September 2009, the South Colonie Central School District will switch all five of its elementary schools to full-day kindergarten.
Although many school districts throughout the Capital District have been contemplating the switch, South Colonie is one of the few that actually will move forward with the measure in the middle of a budget year where cost-cutting is a common theme.
According to Superintendent of Schools Jonathan Buhner, there are costs associated with staffing and having the building space for full-day kindergarten, however the district will receive about $900,000 in state aid to help with the transition.
It’s essentially money to get you going, Buhner said. `It tails off after a certain amount of time, and then your kids are rolled into enrollment.`
Buhner said the district is lucky because, over the years, the community has supported several building projects that have provided the district with enough classroom space for the new full-day program.
At the same time the community was approving that added space for the full-day program, the kindergarten program itself was changing.
According to Roessleville Principal Suzanne Moore, all five of the district’s elementary schools (Roessleville, Veeder, Saddlewood, Shaker Road and Forest Park), were operating under a half-day kindergarten system until three years ago. Then-Superintendent of Schools Michael Marcelle began moving the elementary schools into transitional kindergarten one by one, Moore said.
Transitional kindergarten combines half- and full-day kindergarten into one school year. Students begin the year in small classes in two sections, a morning section and an afternoon section. Mid-year, the students in both sections combine to form full-day kindergarten.
Roessleville became the first of the elementary schools to use the transitional kindergarten, with Shaker Road and Saddlewood following.
When Marcelle retired this year, it was then up to Buhner to decide whether to move the other two elementary schools into transitional kindergarten, or move the entire district to a full-day kindergarten.
`The decision to go all day for all schools next year has two dimensions to it,` said Moore. `Many of our students come from preschool experiences and are ready for it, so it has the educational aspect of it.`
The other aspect is financial. The district will receive an additional $900,000 in state funding for the transition, and seeing as the district already has the staff, equipment and supplies for full-day kindergarten, the money would be added funds for the district.
According to Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Tim Backus, 60 percent of the district’s buildings already had the staffing needed for full-day kindergarten.
Backus said the district also decided to move forward with the program because it allows the teachers to spend more time with the students.
`You’ve got them for longer time, so we really have more flexibility in our schedule throughout the day to offer students more help,` said Backus.
Moore said the full-day program will also provide a lot more time for hands-on activities and student-specific education.
`In addition, it gives [teachers] more time to work with more groups of children and also gives them one-on-one time to meet whatever needs that child has,` she said.
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