Longer kindergarten day in Menlo Park schools? Longer kindergarten day in Menlo Park schools? (April 06, 2005)

** School board to decide on its plan next week.

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

What schedule and program will kindergartners have when they start school at Laurel and Oak Knoll on August 25?

That's a big issue in the district, which has been studying a number of options, and experimenting with split-shift and "full day" kindergartens.

The school board promises to make a decision on any scheduling changes at its Wednesday, April 13, meeting, starting at 7 p.m. in the Oak Knoll School library.

The larger question -- what are the "best practices" for Menlo Park kindergartens -- appears to be a topic for continuing research and discussion.

About 70 parents and teachers showed up March 24 for the board's three-hour kindergarten study session.

Jo Mitchell, assistant superintendent for curriculum, summarized the district's kindergarten study during the past year. (Copies of the summary are available at the district office.) "Many districts throughout the country are grappling with similar issues," she said.

Research shows a shift over the years to "full-day" kindergartens in the United States, from 12 percent in 1970 to 55 percent now, Ms. Mitchell said.

Some of the issues in Menlo Park revolve around: having the same number of minutes and the same program in all district kindergartens; the length of the workday for teachers; and the additional cost for a full-day program.

Superintendent Ken Ranella brought up the possibility of applying to the state for class-size reduction funding -- approximately $272,000 -- to lower kindergarten classes to 20 children or fewer, instead of the average of 24. (Grades 1-3 in the district receive this state funding, enabling smaller classes.)
Parents speak

Many parents who spoke at the meeting said they were pleased with the current programs and the talented teachers at the two schools. A common refrain: Why change programs that are working for the children?

Laurel parents liked the "early bird, late bird" split-shift schedule at Laurel School, in which a smaller group of children work with their teacher part of the day and then come together with another group of children for activities mid-morning.

Most of the Oak Knoll parents came to show support for the extended-day program, in which children go to kindergarten from 8:10 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. each day, except for small groups of children who stay with their teacher for an extra 75 minutes in the afternoon and focus on specialized projects.

This school year Oak Knoll launched a pilot "all-day" kindergarten program with children being in school from 8:10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The longer day, said teacher Alicia Bush, provides extra time for kindergartners to learn what they need to learn in the curriculum, and a more leisurely pace to work on fine motor skills, have a social time and learn through play.

"Both programs have been very successful at Oak Knoll," said Principal David Ackerman.

The all-day program appeals to working parents whose children had been in all-day preschools, he said. In his 15 years as an elementary school principal, the kindergartens were mostly full-day, he added.

One parent e-mailed board members copies of an early childhood study for the kindergarten class of 1988-89, conducted by Jerry West of the National Center for Education Statistics. She said a lot of research shows no lasting difference in student achievement whether a student has a full-day or half-day kindergarten program.

"It's important to think of the needs of the children. They're awfully little," said one Oak Knoll parent. "Maybe we should stay with some form of choice."

One parent observed: Going to kindergarten all day robs children of "enriching experiences" the family provides.

She suggested the push for a longer day for kindergartners may be part of an over-achieving society. "Let's get back to down time and quiet time for young children," she said.

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