Full Day K
Every once in a while, the lovely Mrs. Shabazz and I discuss children. While I have an adopted son, we do bat around the idea of procreating. Now while that may scare some of you, as well as it should, the subject came back up again following Governor Mitch Daniels’ announcement Friday that state revenues were up so much that the state could afford full day kindergarten (FDK). Our discussion was basically that if we did have children, FDK is definitely something we would pursue and any school we looked at sending our once and future kids would have to have FDK.
We are both big believers in education, something that was instilled in us from our parents. We believe learning is a life long experience and the sooner you start, the better off you are. According to the State Department of Education’s website, there are a number of academic benefits to enrolling a child in FDK.
- Teachers reported significantly greater progress for full-day children in literacy, math, general learning skills, and social skills.
- Researchers find strong support for quality full-day kindergarten programs among parents and educators.
- The full-day schedule allows more appropriate challenges for children at all developmental levels.
- Full-day kindergarten programs can result in social benefits.
- Full-day kindergarten programs can result in academic benefits.
- School corporations in Indiana that currently provide full-day kindergarten also find academic and social benefits.
- The number of transitions kindergartners face in a typical day can be reduced by full-day kindergarten.
- Two-way transportation can be an important benefit of full-day kindergarten.
I know there are some people who believe FDK is nothing more than glorified day care. I think that is a fair criticism if the program is not done properly. However, if a school’s FDK program is structured to maximize learning and parents do their part, I don’t see why anyone, absent an issue with the child, wouldn’t want to do it.
The sooner that children are put on a path to learning, the less remedial work we have to do down the road.
I am a big supporter of FDK, and now that the state has found a way to cover a good chunk of the costs of it, it looks even more plausible. Hopefully, more parents will take advantage of it.
