Wyandotte Board OKs Full-Day Kindergarten Next Fall

Beginning next school year, kindergarten students in Wyandotte Public Schools will begin attending full-day sessions.

On Tuesday night, the voted unanimously to shift the current half-day curriculum to full day beginning next fall.

Earlier this year, the Michigan Legislature voted to no longer give a full-time equivalent status to half-day kindergarten programs, as the state had in the past. Schools remaining at half day status would stand to lose more than $3,500 per pupil in state funding, effective at the start of the 2012-13 school year.

Aside from avoiding the funding cut, Wyandotte Superintendent Carla Harting said having kindergarten students spend all day in session would benefit them.

“Research has shown that a full-day kindergarten program makes a significant difference for future academic achievement,” Harting said.

School board Trustee Dana Browning agreed with Harting and said the full-day kindergarten idea is something that is long overdue.

“I wish we would have had this years ago,” Browning said.

Harting acknowledged that some parents might be concerned whether their child is ready for a full day of kindergarten. She said parents are free to speak with her, as well as school principals and current kindergarten teachers, to learn more about the benefits of the new program.

To accommodate full-day kindergarten, Harting said the district would need to bring in four to five more teachers, costing the district a total of $400,000.

Teachers who have been laid off from the district will be asked to fill the positions, Harting said. Currently there are five teachers still laid off from the original .

Having a full-day curriculum can make Wyandotte an attractive option to parents of kindergarten students and help raise enrollment, Harting said.

“I think it could make a difference in how many students we bring into our program,” Harting said.