| Full-day program considered Parents have requested kindergarten measure 04/11/2001 By Lee Zethraus / The Dallas Morning News The Highland Park school district is considering an all-day kindergarten program.
District officials said they have just started evaluating whether they should lengthen the day for the school's youngest students.
The change is being considered because of requests by parents – and because a statewide mandatory full-day measure has been mentioned during this legislative session, said Dr. Jean Rutherford, assistant superintendent for curriculum and evaluation.
The district's half-day program is designed with three-hour morning and afternoon sessions and has been in place since 1970, district officials said. A full-day program would begin at 8:15 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Rutherford said letters asking about the full-day program were sent to families who registered during the district's kindergarten roundup in preparation for the 2001-02 school year. Currently, 332 students are enrolled for fall kindergarten in the district's four elementary schools.
School board President Bob Dransfield said that though kindergarten programming was not on the board's Tuesday evening meeting agenda, he encouraged parents with an interest in the issue to express their views to the board.
"It's way too premature to conclude that a decision has been made on this," Mr. Dransfield said. "If the Legislature mandates it, we've got to be prepared to do it."
Dr. Rutherford said the impetus to investigate extending the kindergarten day came from several sources.
"We have had plenty of requests and interest from parents and understand many other districts have gone to the full-day program," said Dr. Rutherford, who had plans to discuss the change with elementary school principals Tuesday afternoon. "A number of students who live here go to other programs that are all-day. And there is the constant question with increasing standards everywhere, is this something we should talk about?"
Judy Schmitz, whose son attends kindergarten at Armstrong Elementary School, wonders what will be in store for her younger children. She said her son has had a great year in the half-day program. But she has questions about possible changes.
"It seems to me there are so many different ideas for what a kindergartner needs to learn," said Mrs. Schmitz. "Some say kindergarten students aren't developmentally ready to read, while others say they are ready to learn more, there just isn't enough time in the day."
Mrs. Schmitz also wonders whether the cafeterias can handle the additional students during the school day, and whether kindergarten students would be assisted going through the lunch line.
"My son would be eating french fries and ice cream every day," she said. "I don't think he would ever pick a green vegetable. And I wonder how much more a kindergartner can do in a day. Will all their time and energy be gone and there be no energy to play or go to sports practice or ballet lessons?"
Dr. Rutherford said that because the community has so many resources at hand, there are good cases for both the half-day and the full-day program.
"I see some great opportunities in a full-day program and some great benefits from a half-day program," Dr. Rutherford said. "We are blessed with a community that offers such wonderful out-of-school activities we don't feel the same deep needs that a lot of districts do. We aren't challenged with the same issues. I think we have a very different perspective than many schools that are implementing it."
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