1/2 Or Full Day of Kindergarten??

My son went to all day kindergarten because that is what the school provided. Half-day was Pre-k and only for the younger children (not old enough for kindergarten but needed to start interacting and learning so they wouldnt' be behind the following year). When I was in school, kindergarten was only half a day.

In both cases it was not an option...you went to school.

full-day, if you have a choice.....which I bet you don't!

He's an older 5....so it shouldn't be an issue & should be a benefit for him.

1/2 day if you don't have to work. I worked in schools for many, many years. Half day was perfect. Full days and the kids are exhausted have meltdowns, (tears and more tears) and it's just way too much. I realize there are a lot of moms that have to work (I did, too) and so it sounds horrible having me say that, but if you can let them be babies a little longer, oh do it.

In our local school district, there isn't a choice...the kids go full day. I have observed other children doing terrible on a full day of K...it's too tiring for them, and a little overwhelming.

Personally, I homeschool through MNVA (a wonderful online school in my state that is part of the K12 program, which has programs all over the country) and because of the individual attention (even with an 8 month old to entertain) we only spend - at most - two hours a day on school, and she is so far ahead that she's moved into the 1st grade curriculum.

They can learn a lot in a few hours...I would go with the half day. That's still a step up from pre-k, and it will help him ease into 1st grade.

My daughter went from a preschool schedule exactly like your sons, to an all day K class. We didn't really have much of a choice though - all our public schools switched to all day programs. She did great and learned so much that year. She had just turned 5 in July, so she went thru the entire K year being 5 yr old. She is now in 1st grade (6 yrs old) and is doing great! The teachers say that they like full day K better too because they can do so much more with the kids. I know in Michigan, they are required by law to teach certain subjects for a certain amount of time each day (mostly reading and math) and that wasn't leaving much time for science, art or fun!
I would be afraid that if he only went a half day, he might be at a disadvantage starting 1st grade compared to other students that attended full day K. Honestly, K is like the new first grade! All reading fundamentals are taught in K.

My daughter goes to a private Catholic school so we did have the option for full or half day and I chose full-day. I have friends whose kids are in the half-day and it seems that they do more academics whereas my daughter gets her academics and play spread out over the course of the day. She actually enjoys it very much and I wouldn't have it any other way. BTW, she is an older five as well - she just turned 6 in December.

Good luck with whatever decision you choose. :-)

I would advise full day. I know of so many families who go private with K because public schools don't offer full, most anyway. The schools would love to offer full to every child, steer just isn't the money. My kids went full day in k and even wanted to stay after for the after school program, even though I was able to pick them up when school was over. If your child loves pre school, he'll be fine nix all day and will xhave that advantage in first grade.

My daughter had been in daycare 6 hours plus each day since she was 3 mos. old. The daycare program shifted more towards a preschool format the last year. So we picked all-day Kindergarten and she did just great!

Here are my thoughts based on my experience with my boys and in our particular district:

First of all we only have half day offered to us. The thing that I did NOT like about it is that it was almost 100% academic. There was no gym class and very litle art or music. They had to make sure that the kids came out of K reading and writing well so that was what they concentrated. They really never even had free time and only hit the playground a couple times a year. I feel that in a full day there is time to incorporate SO much more into the program for the kids.
My oldest son would have done great with an all day kindergarten. He turned 6 a couple days in and had had 4 years of preschool so he would have been more than ready to stay the whole day and would have loved it. My second son was 5 1/2 when he started K and I would not have wanted him to stay all day...he would not have liked it and it would have been too long. Part of this due to his age and part b/c he was a little more immature. Even with the half day I had some seperation issues with him Now that he is 6 and in first grade all day he is doing GREAT. So I really think the answer to this will be kid specific. If you think that your son could go all day and is socially and academically ready then go for it. If not, do the half day.

The principal at my daughter's school explained the district's move to full day like this: with the increased standards kindergarteners are expected to meet, half day didn't leave enough time to play and let the kids do typical kindergarten stuff.

It's all in what you think is best for your son. It might not be much of an issue soon anyway. In my county in Michigan, there is only one district offering half day kindergarten in the fall. I'm guessing this is a country-wide trend?

He will love all day.. They get 2 play times and lunch in the school cafeteria! if he goes all day.. They will also get to experience time in the school library, maybe actual art, music, computer, classes. Ask the school what the difference is..

Our daughter had been in preschool for years, 8 to 9 hours so she actually thought it was a short 7 hour day at school. And she was worn out, so better sleep.. Bonus..

Since your son is almost 6, I would go for full day. For my daughter we did 1/2 day five days a week at age 3, then full day five days a week now at age 4. Next year she will be in kindergarten 5 days a week full day at the same school and they drop the naptime. That is the norm around where I live. I think most kids go to kindergarten full time. Actually the kindergartens around here don't even offer half-days, just the preschools. I have a lot of teacher friends that say that kids that don't do kindergarten have a much harder time in 1st grade--there is a lot more expected now-a-days than there used to be. All this being said, do what works best for your family.

After two years of 2.5 hour preschool three days/week, my daughter was bored and 100% ready for full day. She was 5 1/2 at the time. In our district, 98% of the parents choose full day (according to the principal at our school last year). My daughter (now in 1st grade) never once complained about the day being too long. With full day, they get recess, lunch and, as in our school, a snack time so there is plenty of time for fun & play - it's not all academic, all day. They do, however, get so much more time for reading, math & science which I thought was a great advantage. Another reason I chose full day was that my daughter could then go to the school that is right in our neighborhood. With 1/2 day, the district waits until right before school starts in the fall, figures out which school has any available space and all of the 1/2 dayers go there - which could be all the way across town, etc. Not sure how your district plans that, but something you might want to look into. Good luck with your decision!

There is no option where I live it is full time. Maybe think about putting your son in the preschool program he is currently in for a full day a few times a week and see how he does. I bet he would do better then you think.

I only put the kids in full day.

I think the kids can go either for 1/2 day or full. It really has no impact on them. If they go a full day the only thing they add is lunchtime, rest time and an extra recess. The teacher may add some extra afternoon activities but it's not going to be an every day thing. As they get closer to Christmas and in to the Spring they will ween away from having rest time.

In my opinion the full day just helps them get ready for the next year. They are Kindergarteners, the whole class is 5 and 6, so it's just natural for them to see what everyone else is doing and follow along.

Are you sure you have a choice, I was under the impresssion that public schools are full days now?

My son started Kindergarten this year and our town only offers 1/2 day.....which I was thankful. I think a full day is too long for a 5-6 yr old. And they aren't missing out on any more learning going half day, they just don't have lunch time, recess, quiet time, etc. Plus, my son goes in the pm and he has a small class size (only 10 kids!!), so I think it is more beneficial as he gets more one on one time with the teacher. It isn't even 2nd quarter and my son is learning to read already!! Its amazing what they teach in Kindergarten compared to when I was in school!!!!

Our district is half day. You don't get a choice. Full day is an option only if the child tests low/has special needs. If I did have a choice, personally, I think half day was enough. What they accomplished in half day K was mind boggling.

I was a sahm and felt there was not a need to have all day k. I think some schools just spread it out and do a lot more fun and play when they are at that age for all day k. I could be wrong. Some are more structured then others.

Our sons kindergarten gave us the option to do half or full day (private school) and there was also the option of starting him at half day and progressing to full day when/if we felt he was ready. After talking to the teacher and other parents that we knew from pre-school we chose full day. It was an adjustment and it took about 2 weeks for him to get used to and he loved it! He even told me once that he felt bad for the 2 kids that were half day students b/c they had to leave after lunch time and the afternoon was the best part of the day. Does your school have an option for starting half day then moving into a full day?

I would say that it depends on your son's personality and preference, so I would talk to him and see which option he is interested in. You might also talk to the school as well and see how hard it will be to switch to 1/2 day if full is too much too fast. Kindergarten can be pretty intense as it is probably the first time your son will have to sit quietly for long periods of time and share with a large crowd.

I have a quiet and sensitive little boy, so we decided on a 1/2 day program and it works great for him. He gets to see his friends and be active in class for the morning. The half day class gets to go to the library, gym, recess and media center along with in class activities.Then he comes home and gets to relax and spend quiet time with his family. He loves school and comes home happy, but I noticed that he gets overwhelmed much faster on school days than weekends. His teacher thinks that he tries so hard to be perfect in school that he just overflows once he gets home. So I think a full day program would be too much for him emotionally even if he was happy while he was in class.

The all day program in his school is classroom from 8:40 - 11:40 and then they go to basically a daycare run by the school after lunch. Then they are released when school is released. The kids in the afternoon class attend the daycare first. To my understanding the room is run by a teacher and she does work with them on the basics, but it is not structured like a class and is run much more like a preschool for older kids. There is often an additional fee for this program as well.

I personally would rather my kids were home with me and I was able to read with them and help them myself than pay someone else to get to spend time with them.

I don' t have an opinion on this one, but wanted to thank you for asking it! We will be facing this same decision next year, looking ahead to my daughter entering kindergarten in Fall 2012. She will always be one of the oldest in her class (her birthday is October 3rd). It was interesting to read all the different perspectives on 1/2 vs full day...

Speaking as a teacher and mother of 3. Full day

hi,

where i live there is no option for 1/2 or full day kindergarten. it's full. when i was little we had a 1/2 day. i definitely think that full day is too much for a 5 or 6 yr old. my daughter went to vpk (pre-kindergarten) and went 5 days for 1/2 days. she loved it. kindergarten not so much. it's a LOT of work. it's a lot of responsibility for them. it is definitely not fun and games. i volunteered in the classroom, and while i know that they will differ from room to room. they put a lot on kids now to learn as much as they can as quickly as they can and the kids get burned out. they are learning sight words, math, science, social studies, they have the different classes for music, drama, p.e., art, etc. they are learning how to function at a large elementary school, where there is more than a few hundred kids. it's intimidating for many young kids. they have to learn to read before passing into the first grade. it's very stressful for them. my daughter's teacher would put on a cd and have them shake out their sillies (kinda like yo gabba gabba). and don't forget that most elementary schools no longer offer free time on the playgrounds for the kids to go and play because there is so much to learn. my daughter has a playground equipment that she has never used because they don't have time. she is getting zoned for a different school next year that only lets the kids go out once per week to play for 30mins. my daughter was so stressed out last year she was a BEAR when she came home from school. anyways, there is a lot to learn, and if they can get it in in 1/2 day i would definitley take that because it is a big transition to go from 1/2 day to full day even if it is only 2-3 hours. i have my son (4) staying thru lunch at vpk 5 days/week so that he is used to eating lunch at school already so he can do it and also working with him on opening up his lunch because sometimes there is no one to help him. find out from the school what they learn in those extra few hours they have for the day and see if it's worthwhile.

If your school has a choice, you should check and see what they are doing in the afternoons that your child would miss out on if they were only there in the mornings. You will probably receive pressure to stay for whole day. One of my friends started pulling her chld out right before lunch b/c he couldn't handle five full days and her son's school only did things like art, gym, etc in the afternoon. She had him in sports and piano lessons so she as not worried about him missing things. One of my friends picked the half day and received a phone call from the principal who explained her child would miss math if he left, so she ended up having him stay. I had another friend who eased her daughter into full days. She picked the days that did the fun acitivites that her daughter enjoyed and had her stay those days. by the end of the school year, she was going full-time. In the state of Illinois, there is not mandatory attendance for kindergarten. I would just encourage you to find out what the day will look like and make some decisions from that point. My son goes until 1:30 which I love and he is sometimes tired and crabby. Just have to make sure he gets into bed early!!!

If after school day care is not an issue for you, I would choose 1/2 day. Kids are in full day school for the rest of their school years ... hang on to them at home for as long as you can and enjoy this unique time with them. There are so many things you can do and places you can go during that 1/2 day they are home with you that you would miss out on if they were at school all day ... musuems, zoos, the arboretum, park district activities ... all will be less crowded than weekends or school breaks.