Dist. 204 to offer full-day kindergarten

All elementary schools in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 will offer full-day kindergarten next fall.

But parents will still be able to send their children to a half-day kindergarten program at their home school as long as there are enough students interested to justify having a class.

The school board approved adding the all-day program with a 6-1 vote Monday with the stipulation that the district reserves the right to limit access to the program in future years if finances or space cause it to do so.

Georgetown, Gombert, Longwood and McCarty elementary schools have been testing an all-day program this fall for kindergarten students who are struggling. The new program will be open to all students.

"The research is absolutely clear," Superintendent Stephen Daeschner said. "One of the most positive things you can do is get kids started right and started early."

Board member Jeannette Clark was the lone opponent. While she said she supports the concept, she is concerned about schools having enough space for the program without harming other programs, such as art and music, or affecting class sizes at other grade levels. She said the district needs to take more time to work out the details of the program and get more input from parents.

"We're trying to do too much at one time and we don't have this whole thing flushed out yet so this can benefit all children," she said.

Several parents who addressed the board expressed similar concerns, as did Valerie Dranias, president of the teachers union.

But Daeschner said he has spoken to all 21 principals and each one said they have enough space in their buildings to accommodate the program.

Other board members like Alka Tyle said they saw no reason not to get the program started knowing the educational benefits it has provided in other districts. Tyle said she trusts the principals to know their schools well enough to determine how it will affect them. The district can make modifications to the program in future years if necessary, she said.

Originally, the district planned to offer half-day kindergarten only at select locations once the all-day program started. But after a suggestion from board member Curt Bradshaw, the board voted to continue to offer half-day kindergarten at all schools that have enough interest to ease some parental concerns.

Original cost estimates from Dave Holm, assistant superintendent for business, projected that the district will need to hire 61 new teachers at a cost of about $5 million a year in addition to just under $1 million in start-up costs. Because the district's attendance will increase, so will its state funding. State sources are expected to provide an additional $7 million a year starting the year after the program begins.