Full-day K ‘on back burner’ - Maybe someday, but Wallingford schools have other priorities

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday March 17, 2013

By Mary Ellen Godin
Record-Journal staff
mgodin@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2255

WALLINGFORD – School superintendent Salvatore Menzo says he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of full day kindergarten, but some steps need to be taken before the conversation can begin.

Menzo said the most recent data on the topic are now five years old and, given the changes to the core curriculum, might not be relevant today.

Those studies found that students who did not attend all-day kindergarten caught up to the gains made by those who did by grade three or four, he said.

“That data is based in a different reality,” Menzo said. “It’s too soon to tell. We’re trying to look and shore up our curriculum. It’s a district-by district decision.”

Changes in the statewide core standards announced in 2010 are still being implemented in districts across the state, he said, but it’s up to the individual district how it meets the new standards.

“As those standards become more of a reality, I’m sure there will be additional studies,” Menzo said.

Meriden implemented all day kindergarten this year after school administrators found that students in all-day programs made more significant academic gains than those in a half-day program, particularly in urban settings. Southington announced this year that it too would be adding a full-day kindergarten to better meet the new state standards, and after learning there was a decrease in the numbers of children enrolled in day care or preschool programs. Cheshire is surveying parents for their views on an all-day program, school officials said.

For its part, Wallingford restructured its elementary schools into four kindergarden- through-grade-2 schools and four grades 3-5 schools. It also reallocated intervention teachers to assist students who aren’t keeping up with their peers. The plan is to identify those students early on and provide them with additional help. The district is also investigating grants that would allow the district to provide extended kindergarten opportunities for those lagging behind, Menzo said.

Parents have been receptive to his explanations for the lack of an all-day kindergarten when the current curriculum goals are explained to them, he said.

“They understand the rationale,” Menzo said. “You have to have the foundation put in place.”

Before the conversation about all-day kindergarten can even begin, Menzo said, three critical components need to be explored.

The first is to develop a curriculum for an all-day program. The second is to ensure the resources to accommodate all-day kindergarten are available or allocated. The third is to make sure instructional practices are implemented consistently and accurately in all locations.

The district has not researched the cost of an all-day kindergarten program, Menzo said.

“We have to prioritize, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” said school board member Michael Votto. “Money is part of it.”

Votto hasn’t heard too much from parents hoping for an all day kindergarten, but when he does, there are generally two trains of thought: Parents want the academic experience, or they are requesting it for daycare.

Votto would not support an all-day kindergarten program solely because parents are unhappy with the current two and- a-half-day system.

In addition to the reconfiguration of the elementary schools, the district has also embarked on an extensive maintenance regimen for all its schools, Votto said.

“We’re making great progress with the maintenance,” Votto said “But we’ve kind of put it (all-day kindergarten) on the back burner.”

Votto said he would be open to more discussion about all day kindergarten and agrees with Menzo that a foundation needs to be set before the district can move forward. He believes enrollment has gone down and has taken notice of districts, such as Cheshire, that have put entire kindergarten programs in one building.

Votto supports a program that balances academics and socialization so that 5-year olds aren’t overburdened with academics. But he’s ready to begin the studies and take a closer look at the idea.

“Once we’ve gotten over this hump, it’s time to start looking at other things,” Votto said.