[mz_libbie22]

i'd really like to do part time kindergarten for DS. there's one school in my town that has it, and we're on the wait list. this school has free part time kindy and they offer choices of morning vs afternoon and full week vs. every other day(it's a charter Montessori). but since i'm not sure he'll get in there for fall, i've been looking into the charter schools that are a few minutes out of town. i called one today and asked if they had part time k-garten. they said "sure, we'll work with you to find something that best suits the child". but immediately after i told her i wanted full day/2 days a week, she said "no, that would not be good for a child. they need consistency."

: amazing that she knows my child so well. it wasn't even open for debate by how she said it so, i just said "oh, okay". and she said "good luck with that" and hung up. is this really such a crazy idea?

:

 

[J-Max]

Our local public school (and most of the small rural school in our county) have full day 3 days/week kindergarten. This worked really well for us. They did this several years ago mostly for budget reasons (less school bus runs, not a full time teaching position), but also for parents that don't stay at home or farm have to drive at least 45 min and usually closer to an hour each way for work, and with no day care in the area, there was a problem of what to do with kids for 1/2 the day and many parents were taking their kids to kindy in the towns they worked in and we were losing the funding for those students. (sorry for the run-on

). Keep in mind we have 60 kids K-12, and combined grade in the elem (1-2, 3-4, 5-6), I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[lauren]

I think they are probably more used to parents asking for mornings only 5 days a week or 4 days a week. I haven't heard of 2 full days as a preference either, so mostly they may have been taken aback. If you feel strongly about it, why don't you write them a letter explaining why you think this is a good idea for your child, with educational rationale. Perhaps they will reconsider. If not, perhaps you would consider something part time more in line with what they typically offer?

ETA: the most common reason that schools often hear for wanting part time is that parents are not comfortable with full days. So they may be quite surprised that you would ask for this, but not everyday. Many children do tend to adapt better when they have a similar routine everyday, and of course, schools are kind of all about adapting to the routine....(which may or may not be what you want!)

 

[3 little birds]

When my girls started kindergarden their teacher told us that the day
"counted" if the girls stayed till 12:30. In other words, the school got paid for their attendance if they at least stayed that long. If your school system is set up the same way, the schools may not be willing to enroll students they will only be able to count for 2 days a week.

My children now go to a very flexible Montessori school, who would probably be okay with your setup, as long as the days are consecutive, because they believe this helps the child develop a routine.

 

[mz_libbie22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3 little birds When my girls started kindergarden their teacher told us that the day "counted" if the girls stayed till 12:30. In other words, the school got paid for their attendance if they at least stayed that long. If your school system is set up the same way, the schools may not be willing to enroll students they will only be able to count for 2 days a week.

I didn't even think about the funding aspect of it. thanks.