Make me feel more positive about half day K

[EVC]

I saw the other thread and it seems that most people think that full day K is the better option. I think so, too. The problem is my school district doesn't seem to share this option. Here, K is three hours. Period. Either 8:20 - 11:30 or 11:40 - 3:15 (or something like that). We are in the 8:20 group.

Dd has been in full time pre-school and has thrived in that setting.

I am worried that half day K is really going to fall short of the mark. My vision of it is this: the kids arrive half asleep, start to wake up and get oriented, they say hello to each other and their teacher, they start to settle in, they read a story together, have recess, come back into the classroom and color some pictures, and then get sent home. Honestly, if this is it, I don't see the point.

So, please tell me, is this what it is really like? Or am I being overly pessimistic? Can anyone better enlighten me and make me feel more positive about half day K?

(I'll note as an aside that dd can already read and do basic math, so telling me that they learn the alphabet and counting won't make me feel much better ).

I DO want to feel good about this! Dd is VERY excited about starting "real school" and a part of me is, too! And I know that the socialization aspect of K is important, but after pre-school, I just hope there is more

[Aquitane]

DS (11) and DD (7) both went to half-day kindy because our district didn't go to full day until last year.

Both are FINE! DD is reading 1 grade level ahead and DS has received advanced scores on his standardized tests (not that I consider the tests the best way to judge his performance). DS gets mostly A's and a few B's. DD doesn't get grades yet, but she's been doing great!

I actually see a benefit to half day. My kids did not attend day care, so they weren't used to being gone all day anyway. DS did p.m. kindy, DD did a.m. because that's what worked for each of their personalities. They got the "treat" of going to school and they were able to still have some semblance of their normal routine.

It will work out!

P.S. I'm a teacher, and I don't know that I am all for whole day kindergarten. I think there are benefits to both all and half day. Just wanted to let you know that.

[whatsnextmom]

My oldest only did a few months of half-day kindie but I can share what it was like for us. They would do a group activity the beginning and end of class. They had snack/recess. Most of the time was spent rotating through their workstations. They had math and language arts curriculum books... outside the first month of review and confidence building, there was no letter or counting exercises. They had a computer station, a writing stations and would alternate between play and craft station.

The nice part about her being in 1/2 day is that, depending on how advanced your DD is, subject acceleration can be simpler. My oldest started kindie 2 ro 5 grade levels advanced all around. She was able to go to 1st grade a few mornings a week and then join her kindie class in the afternoon. She eventually moved full-time into first but for that time, half-day was nice. Sometime to consider if kindie starts to sour.

[mommy2maya]

We have half day kindy here too. It is pretty down to business. They work hard the whole three hours they are there. Our kindy doesn't get recess, tho they do get snack, and more often than not, it is a working snack- they are listening to a story while they eat. The curriculum is very full and is pretty strict over what is covered when. The first month or so is pretty basic, and they are basically getting to know where all of the kids are, and setting up small groups for reading and math. The curriculum that our school works with does have differentiation for kindies who are already reading, those who know letters/sounds and the totally unprepared.

[EVC]

S. I'm a teacher, and I don't know that I am all for whole day kindergarten. I think there are benefits to both all and half day. Just wanted to let you know that.

I can see your point. I think for me it's more the issue of going from a full day pre-school program (that dd LOVED and which worked really well for her) to a half day K. I think if we hadn't done the pre-school program, then a half day K program would probably be a great transition into school. It just ends up being a little funky because our daily rhythm has already been set a bit differently and has been working so well. This will take readjustment for us--which is not necessarily bad, of course.

Most of the time was spent rotating through their workstations. They had math and language arts curriculum books... outside the first month of review and confidence building, there was no letter or counting exercises. They had a computer station, a writing stations and would alternate between play and craft station.

That's interesting and does make me feel more optimistic

[Polliwog]

What you're describing sounds more like most preschool settings, not most kindergarten classrooms. There's math, reading, writing, social studies, science, etc. Sometimes integrated into thematic units, sometimes not. There may or may not be a recess time or special classes. It's definitely not babysitting. And the kids generally aren't sleepy after the first few days/weeks.

I wish our district had half-day kindergarten. My DS was way sleepier/less focused in the afternoon.

[LynnS6]

Full day K is more of a combination between preschool and K (at least it was for us). They don't cover more material, but they do get kids ready to be away from home for longer. Thus, in some ways, I think that kids in 1/2 day K come away ready to work in a more focused way in 1st grade than kids in full day.

Dd's best friend was in 1/2 day K, and she's very very bright. She thrived in that setting. She'll be more than fine in full day 1st grade.

[mamatowill]

My older DS just finished half day kindy. The program has all the academics of the "regular" school. The students do math, language, science, social studies, art, gym and for my DS it was all in French. I know that our curriculum documents are on line- are yours so that you can look at the kindergarten curriculum? The full day that they are starting this year looks like it will still be a half day of kindergarten and a half day of daycare/preschool.

[EVC]

Originally Posted by Polliwog

What you're describing sounds more like most preschool settings, not most kindergarten classrooms. There's math, reading, writing, social studies, science, etc. Sometimes integrated into thematic units, sometimes not. There may or may not be a recess time or special classes.

That's good to hear. It's just hard for me to imagine how anything really gets done in only three hours--it just seems like so little time (especially after full day pre-school which had a very lively curriculum). I'm glad to hear that my pessimism is largely unjustified.

I know that our curriculum documents are on line- are yours so that you can look at the kindergarten curriculum?

No, there is absolutely NO information on line. NOTHING. I've looked. We actually don't even find out who our teacher is until literally the evening before school starts, so there is no one to ask (not that I would want to disturb her future teacher before the school year even begins). But there is just NO information online, which may be why my imagination has been running

Thank you all for the reassurances

[EFmom]

We have only half day, and I hated it. Kindergarten is very academic these days, and the kids did work pretty intensely while they were there. Because the day is so short, my kids got tons of homework, which I think just sucks.

[EVC]

Originally Posted by EFmom

We have only half day, and I hated it. Kindergarten is very academic these days, and the kids did work pretty intensely while they were there. Because the day is so short, my kids got tons of homework, which I think just sucks.

Homework in kindergarten? I had no idea, actually. I thought that started in first grade.

Yeah, this is also a worry, that it will be ALL academic in order to cram it all into three hours. What I liked about pre-school was that they did things like reading, writing, and math, but much of the day was spent doing things like cooking projects, gardening and composting, yoga, Spanish circle time, journaling, etc. They were so many enriching, fun, and educational projects, but it seems like to be able to do stuff like that regularly, you need the whole day.

So while I don't want her just sitting around coloring pictures for three hours, I also don't want a rush to fit in all of the academic requirements. Ideally I would like some balance.

I have heard very positive feedback about the school. It is considered a very good school. So my hope is that her future teacher has truly found some way to plan her lessons, that there is time for a bit of everything.

[cycle]

Our district only has half day kindergarten but has an accompanying program that offers and extended day kindergarten program. It is much more play based but works in conjunction with the district and is at the school. DS has the EDKP in the am from 8:30-12:15 which includes lunchtime, and his regular kindergarten class in the afternoon from 12:15-3:00. He is used to being in school all day as he has been in a Quaker (Friend's) preschool for the past two years in an all day program and thrived, they had a rest time but he never slept. He gave up napping at about 2.5 . I requested that he have the afternoon for his actual "class", I think for him it will be better, although he would be fine either way, he wakes up "on". Our district is of the top two in the region so I am not really worried about the half day thing, I would be if there wasn't an option to have a full-day at school experience though.

[EVC]

Our district only has half day kindergarten but has an accompanying program that offers and extended day kindergarten program.

Our school also has an on-site afterschool program for kindergarteners, but it is CRAZY expensive and, since dh and I are both in school ourselves, way beyond out budget. I'm looking into less expensive afternoon options that might help to round out her day.

Come to think of it, I imagine the school plans for the majority of kids to participate in the afterschool program as well as the K classroom, so maybe that's how they plan curriculum? My understanding is that the program is very much in demand, so I hope that dd won't be missing out on something fun and educational because she won't be in it

[cycle]

Originally Posted by EVC

Our school also has an on-site afterschool program for kindergarteners, but it is CRAZY expensive and, since dh and I are both in school ourselves, way beyond out budget. I'm looking into less expensive afternoon options that might help to round out her day.

Come to think of it, I imagine the school plans for the majority of kids to participate in the afterschool program as well as the K classroom, so maybe that's how they plan curriculum? My understanding is that the program is very much in demand, so I hope that dd won't be missing out on something fun and educational because she won't be in it

Do they have scholarships that you might qualify for? I know that the program in our district has a very good scholarship program for families.

ETA - I don't think you have anything to worry about even if your dd just does half day. Full day Kindergarten is a fairly new thing, and while it works for some kids I do not at all think it is a measure or a determining factor of their educational success.

[EVC]

Do they have scholarships that you might qualify for? I know that the program in our district has a very good scholarship program for families.

The state used to provide subsidies for low income familes, but sadly these have been cut from the state budget. California is really a mess right now

[Tjej]

Well, the fact that our area is going to all full-day kindergarten is a big motivating factor in my DH warmly considering homeschooling. I think it all depends on what you think is developmentally appropriate for kids and how you expect to fulfill those needs.

And, if it is any consolation, at our local public school the long-time kindergarten teacher is not excited about the switch - she feels half day was good for the kids.

Tjej