District 300 adopts full-day kindergarten for all schools
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 is expanding its full-day kindergarten program to all 17 elementary schools.
The district will add 12 kindergarten classrooms and hire 13 or 14 more teachers this fall - based on projected enrollment for each school. It also is eliminating the tuition fee for full-day kindergarten classes.
Officials will be seeking internal and external candidates with early childhood or kindergarten certification for the teaching jobs, Superintendent Fred Heid said.
At present, each of the elementary schools offers a combination of prekindergarten, full-time and part-time kindergarten classes. The expanded program will provide students individualized support and additional reading, literacy and mathematics instruction.
"All of our schools essentially will be adding one or more classrooms for the upcoming year for kindergarten," Heid said. "We're using existing facilities and space. We visited each campus and identified some classrooms that are currently being used to store supplies or house some additional staff."
By consolidating and moving supplies and staffers, the district will be able to accommodate the 12 extra classrooms without having to build new facilities, Heid said. "We are reviewing the existing equipment needs for those classrooms," he said.
Full-day kindergarten students will receive additional daily instruction in math (45 minutes), guided reading (30 minutes), "Becoming a Writer" (20 minutes) and "Word Work" (five minutes). For the first time, students also will be able to take music, physical education and media classes.
More suburban school districts are making the shift to full-day kindergarten. District 300 spent a year studying its options. The school board's approval this week ultimately was a cost-driven decision, officials said.
Program expansion costs - after an initial investment of about $675,416 for new teachers and materials - will be covered through increased General State Aid (nearly $770,000 yearly), an increase in student enrollment generating more revenue from registration fees (nearly $20,000), and the elimination of midday transportation routes (a savings of $240,000).
"It's not easy," Heid said. "Thank goodness we have enough money in our reserves to be able to do this. Everyone values kindergarten. It's just how do you make it work? Some of our costs are related to this one-year transition. In every subsequent year, it becomes a cost-neutral issue for us."
Half-day kindergarten still is an option for parents, but it will be offered only in the morning going forward due to scheduling issues. Previously, it was offered in separate morning and afternoon sessions.
"Obviously, we're going to strongly encourage everybody to go full-day," Heid said.
Heid said he is a firm believer that investment in full-day kindergarten will benefit students beyond academic growth.
"There's a social-emotional development side there," he said. "Early intervention allows us to address behavioral issues, socialization issues. We are holding true to one of our missions of developing the whole child. Over years, we will see less need to invest in reactive programs, in intervention and mediation.
"Research has demonstrated that full-day kindergartners exhibit more independent learning, classroom involvement, reflectiveness and productivity in work with peers than half-day kindergartners."
Parents also have been more satisfied with their children's schedule and curriculum with full-day kindergarten, he said.
Heid said Illinois should adopt universal full-day kindergarten and fund it, similar to his home state of Florida.
"It shouldn't be left to the district to have to decide between programs," he added.
School administrators will be reaching out to parents to help with the transition this fall. For information and answers to frequently asked questions in English and Spanish, visit d300.org.