Parent News works closely with the staff at AskERIC, a U.S. Department of Education-funded information source for educators and the general public, including parents, who have questions related to education. In each issue of Parent News, we will reprint a frequently asked question (FAQ) response that is of interest to parents and that has been researched and prepared by an AskERIC staff member. We encourage you to contact AskERIC for further information: http://askeric@askeric.org/.

What is a full-day kindergarten program?

* full-day kindergarten program: a program in which the child attends school each weekday for approximately six hours

* half-day kindergarten program: a program in which the child attends school each weekday for 2-1/2 - 3 hours, in either the morning or the afternoon

* alternate-day kindergarten program: a program in which the child attends school every other weekday
How common are full-day kindergarten programs?

There has been a trend away from half-day or alternate-day kindergarten schedules and towards full-day kindergarten in many school districts. "In the fall of 1998, about four million children were attending kindergarten," says a National Center for Educational Statistics study. "Fifty-five percent were in full-day programs and 45% were in part-day programs" (West et al., 2000). Changes in American society and education over the last 20 years-such as the increase in single-parent and dual-employment households and the fact that most children spend a significant part of the day away from home-have contributed to the popularity of all-day (every day) kindergarten programs in many communities (Gullo, 1990). Studies show that parents favor a full-day program that reduces the number of transitions that kindergartners experience in a typical day (Housden & Kam, 1992; Johnson, 1993). Research also suggests that many children benefit more, academically and socially, during the primary years from participation in full-day programs than from half-day kindergarten programs (Cryan et al., 1992; Rothenberg, 1995)]

What are characteristics of effective full-day kindergarten programs?

Full-day kindergarten allows children and teachers time to explore topics in depth; reduces the ratio of transition time to class time; provides for greater continuity of day-to-day activities; and provides an environment that favors a child-centered, developmentally appropriate approach. Recent research indicates that, compared to children in didactic programs, children in child-centered kindergarten programs rated their abilities significantly higher, had higher expectations for success on academic tasks, and were less dependent on adults for permission and approval (Stipek et al., 1995).

Experts urge teachers, administrators, and parents to resist the temptation to provide full-day programs that are didactic rather than intellectually engaging in tone. Seat work, worksheets, and early instruction in reading or other academic subjects are largely inappropriate in kindergarten. By contrast, developmentally appropriate, child-centered, all-day kindergarten programs

* integrate new learning with past experiences through project work and through mixed-ability and mixed-age grouping (Drew & Law, 1990; Katz, 1995) in an unhurried setting;

* involve children in first-hand experience and informal interaction with objects, other children, and adults (Housden & Kam, 1992);

* emphasize language development and appropriate preliteracy experiences;

* work with parents to share information about their children, build understanding of parent and teacher roles;

* emphasize reading to children in school and at home, and set the stage for later parent-teacher partnerships;

* offer a balance of small group, large group, and individual activities (Katz, 1995);

* assess students' progress through close teacher observation and systematic collection and examination of students' work, often by using portfolios; and develop children's social skills, including conflict resolution strategies (Rothenberg, 1995).

Observers of trends in kindergarten scheduling argue that changing the length of the kindergarten day begs the underlying issue of creating developmentally and individually appropriate learning environments for all kindergarten children, regardless of the length of the school day (Karweit, 1992; Katz, 1995).

What are the effects of full-day kindergarten programs?

There is a growing body of research examining the effects of full-day kindergarten. These studies suggest that full-day kindergarten programs produce learning gains that are at least as great as, and usually greater than, the learning gains of half-day kindergarten programs. No study has been identified to date that shows greater gains, academic or developmental, for students in half-day programs over those for students in full-day programs. Also, a number of studies focusing on disadvantaged students showed greater learning gains for students in full-day kindergarten programs. There are limited studies of the long-term effects of full-day kindergarten, though several do indicate that some long-term learning gains exist.

Cryan et al. (1992) is among the studies that have found a broad range of effects, including a positive relationship between participation in full-day kindergarten and later academic success. After comparing similar half-day and full-day programs in a statewide longitudinal study, Cryan et al. found that full-day kindergartners exhibited more independent learning, classroom involvement, productivity in work with peers, and reflectiveness than half-day kindergartners. In general, children in full-day programs exhibited more positive behaviors than did pupils in half-day or alternate-day programs. They were also more likely to approach the teacher and they expressed less withdrawal, anger, shyness, and blaming behavior than half-day kindergartners. Results similar to those of Cryan et al. have been found in other studies (Holmes & McConnell, 1990; Karweit, 1992). These positive effects and the academic gains in the first years of school support the value of developmentally appropriate full-day kindergarten (Rothenberg, 1995).

References

Cryan, J., R. Sheehan, J. Weichel, and I.G. Bandy-Hedden. (1992). Success outcomes of full-day kindergarten: More positive behavior and increased achievement in the years after. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 7(2, June): 187-203. (ERIC Journal No. EJ450525)

Drew, M., and C. Law. (1990). Making early childhood education work. Principal 69(5, May): 10-12. (ERIC Journal No. EJ410163)

Finn, Jeremy D. (2000). Full-day kindergarten: Answers with questions [Online].
Available: http://www.temple.edu/LSS/spot210.htm. [NPIN editor's Note (9-9-02): this url has changed: http://www.temple.edu/lss/htmlpublications/spotlights/200/spot210.htm] [2001, February 2]

Gullo, D. (1990). The changing family context: Implications for the development of all-day kindergartens. Young Children 45(4, May): 35-39. (ERIC Journal No. EJ409110)

Holmes, C.T., and B.M. McConnell. (1990). Full-day versus half-day kindergarten: An experimental study. Unpublished paper. (ERIC Document No. ED369540)

Housden, T., and Kam, R. (1992). Full-day kindergarten: A summary of the research. Carmichael, CA: San Juan Unified School District. (ERIC Document No. ED345868)

Johnson, J. (1993). Language development component: All day kindergarten program 1991-1992. Final Evaluation Report. Elementary and Secondary Education Act Chapter 1. Columbus, OH: Columbus Public Schools, Department of Program Evaluation. (ERIC Document No. ED363406)

Karweit, N. (1992). The kindergarten experience. Educational Leadership 49(6, Mar): 82-86. (ERIC Journal No. EJ441182)

Katz, L.G. (1995). Talks with teachers of young children. Norwood, NJ: Ablex. (ERIC Document No. PS023117)

Rothenberg, D. (1995). Full-day kindergarten programs. ERIC Digest [Online].
Available: http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests/1995/drkind95.html. [2001, February 2]

Stipek, D., Feiler, R., Daniels, D., and Milburn, S. (1995). Effects of different instructional approaches on young children's achievement and motivation. Child Development 66(1, Feb): 209-223. (ERIC Document No. PS523050)

Stofflet, Frederick P. (1998). Anchorage school district full-day kindergarten study: A follow-up of the kindergarten classes of 1987-88, 1988-89, and 1989-90. (ERIC Document No. ED426790)

West, J., Denton, K., and Germino-Hausken, E. (2000). America's kindergartners [Online].
Available: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000070.pdf. (PDF | download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader) [2001, February 2]

Web Resources

National All Day Kindergarten Network
Available: http://www.siue.edu/~snall/kdtn [2001, February 2]

What should parents know about full-day kindergarten?
Available: http://www.accesseric.org/resources/parent/kinder.html [2001, February 2] [NPIN editor's note (5-23-01): this url is no longer active, see http://npin.org/library/1998/n00013/n00013.html]

Ask the experts: Full-day or half-day kindergarten for a five-year-old?
Available: http://familyeducation.com/experts/advice/0,1183,3-5446,00.html [2001, February 2]

Effects of all-day, and half-day kindergarten programming on reading, writing, math, and classroom social behaviors
Available: http://www.nationalforum.com/HILDEaer10e3.html [2001, February 2]

Study: Full-day kindergarten may ease stress on students
Available: http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9711.Elicker.kindergarten.html [2001, February 2]

Extended-day kindergarten. In Extending learning time for disadvantaged students: Vol. 2. Profiles of promising practices
Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Extending/vol2/prof4.html [2001, February 2]

Full-day kindergarten: A sample schedule.
Available: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2221/fdk.html [NPIN editor's note (01-30-03): this url is no longer active] [2001, February 2]