Half day Kindergarten vs. Full day Kindergarten

Tracey - posted on 09/24/2011

My son is in full day Kindergarten now. While the Kindergarten teachers tell you it's the same exact program the first grade teachers said they can tell a major difference between who went half day and who went full day. That is why we opted for full day. I don't want him to struggle next year.

Sherri - posted on 05/25/2010

I agree Trudi and these kids will be in school full days for minimum the next 12 yrs why wouldn't you want what precious time you have with them before its gone. My older two kids I see for a whooping total of 4 1/2 hrs a day. They don't get home till 4pm and are in bed by 8:30pm. Stop pushing these kids to grow up soooo fast. Enjoy there childhood and let them have there freedom. They will lose it soon enough.

Trudi - posted on 05/25/2010

Both my boys went to a private school for kindergarten, and it was only half days. I thought it was fabulous, just long enough for them, they are still little after all. They did just as much work as the kids who went to the public school for the entire day. I guess it probably depends on the school as well, but I think a full day must be exhausting for 5 year olds.

Danielle - posted on 05/23/2010

Full day is much better and it keeps the kids more focused. We don't have the choice for half or full. My son was in Early Intervention in the morning and Headstart in the afternoon so he was used to going to school full time. He was four at the time. He's eight now and in second grade.

Tanya - posted on 05/18/2010

My daughter started kindergarten last year and she went all day. We also have her enrolled in French Immersion so she has French in the morning and English in the afternoon. My husband and I thought that it was best for our daughter to go all day, so she could make some friends, at the time there were no kids her age living near us. I am not sure if it's the different school boards where I live and their curriculum's but my daughter is more advanced than my friend's child who only goes for half a day.

Deserae - posted on 05/18/2010

i had my oldest go full day becuase it has more time to cover the info then the 1/2 day class because they have the full day so the teacher can take more time to teach something but yes it does not matter if they go 1/2 or full time what ever is best for u and ur child hope this helps

Eloisa - posted on 05/18/2010

Well I guess thats why ... we live in america where we can choose to live the way we like and raise our children the way we want too.

Sherri - posted on 05/18/2010

I disagree there is always a choice. If my town switched to all day kindergarten my child would go to private kindergarten where it was still only 2 1/2 hrs a day. However, thankfully it will not be changing any time in the near future.

Eloisa - posted on 05/18/2010

Well I have a kindergarten who goes full day. They do half academics and art in the morning of course theres recess and then more academics and free time, show n tell in the afternoon.Every teacher is differrent with their routine. My son totally loves it and he really does learn a lot. I feel its better!!

Priya - posted on 05/18/2010

Where I live we do not have a choice. It is full day here and for those kids whose parents work, there is daycare after. I know it is a very long day. But here, the academics are all day - morning and afternoon - with gym, library and music in there. The kids eventually get used to it - especially if they were in daycare before starting school.

Sherri - posted on 05/18/2010

I agree with Jennifer these poor kids. Why does everyone keep trying to throw them in to school earlier and earlier. You will only have them home for this short time in there lives. I miss my older boys horribly they get on the bus at 8am and don't get home till 4pm. I am breathing in every possible second my youngest is home. It will be gone far to quickly.

Jennifer - posted on 05/18/2010

Your kids have the next 12 years to be in school all day. They grow up so fast. Keep them home while you can.

Jenny - posted on 05/16/2010

I know at my kids school they cram the same curriculum into half day kindergarten as they taught in full day kindergarten. Since I wasn't sure how each of my children would do in school, but felt they were both socially ready enough for a full day of school, I felt it was beneficial to them both to have the extra time at school to either get the extra attention they needed or the extra time to excel. Either way I felt like a full day experience was good for my kids. Just go with what you think is best for your child! Good luck!

Kim - posted on 05/16/2010

My son was very smart and he did not need full day and it could have cost us $4000 to pay for it so he did not go but my daughter needed the extra help. She was behind in reading and knowing her letters ect(my son read at 4 yrs of age), so we sent her full day. At our school only the full day kids got specials like gym, music ect. which is a shame and recess timne. Most schools require a 45 min rest period so I was wondering the same thing, but I was told they worked more on writing and reading workshops. It did help my daughter though. You have to decide which is best for you and your child. I think they have more time to socialize in the afternoons sometimes that is a plus too or you will have to set up playdates so your child won't be bored inthe afternoon.

Becky - posted on 05/16/2010

I was leery of the full day Kindergarten at first, those who say the academics are the same, maybe so, but in full day they have more time to master it. I've had 2 of my kids go through it so far & compared to my friends that were in districts with half day, my kids in especially reading were way ahead of my friends kids & they left the same preschool at the same level - that convinced me! They also get to take PE, Art & Music classes that half day really don't get to do. I'm a complete supporter. It isn't like when we were in, they read in kindergarten for goodness sakes, they are doing what we did in first & second grade.

Jenn - posted on 05/15/2010

my daughter currently attends all day kindergarten with no nap time and she loves it. I have enjoyed it to because being there full day gives the teacher more time to get to know the students. 25 is easier to get to know then 50 (half day two classes each day). I was worried about how well she would hold up (she still takes 3 hour naps on weekends) but she has done wonderfully. here are the activities they do in a day with them lasting around 20 -30 mins each. Calendar...Writer's Workshop....math....guided reading...stations...specials...review time...also lunch and three recessess and scheduled bathroom breaks. writers workshop is like keeping a journal with the words being sounded out for spelling (had to ask her a lot what was written esp. in the beginning) stations are activities where the children work together by themselves with little instruction and it typically has something to do with the subject they have been studying. I am amazed at what all she has learned this year. most was stuff i didn't learn until end of kindergarten and into 1st grade.

Melissa - posted on 05/15/2010

We had great experience with full day kindergarten. After having my older son in an all-day program, we wouldn't have considered having my younger son in anything but all day kindergarten. I agree with the other moms who said all day kindergarten gives them a chance to master what they have been learning and gives time for enrichment activities they are unlikely to have at home or other childcare. That being said, I also did my research ahead of time. The two programs we opted for where extremely well-regarded. My younger son's teacher is the kindergarten curriculum administrator for the whole school district, so she has developed an incredible program over the last 26 years. What I liked most about all-day was the fact that both my kids were reading well above grade level when they began first grade. They also had no problem at all adjusting to first grade.

Heather - posted on 05/14/2010

I think full day Kindergarten is a good thing. My middle son Lucas is in Pre-school and he is going from 9:10a.m. unitl 2:30p.m. and he gets to do the same thing as the older children like music, P.E. Art, and going to the library. and he gets to go to Kindergarten next year that is full day. I think that if your child/ children want to go all day then find a school that has all day they can do it my son has kids in his class that are just turning 5 years old.

Charlotte - posted on 05/13/2010

Hi not all of the schools are doing the full day kindergardten, they only selected a few schools to see what happens. With some of the schools, they are offering entended care for the parents who work or go to school full time. Which means parents can drop off their kid at 7:00 in the morning, and pick them up at 6:00 at night.

Sylvia - posted on 05/11/2010

My province is phasing in full-day kindergarten, and I'm really not a fan. Five-year-olds don't need to be in school all day, and kindergarten doesn't need to be turned into Grade 1. Plus, full-day kindergarten is going to seriously screw up the in-school child care centres -- they likely won't be able to afford to pay ECEs anymore, so we'll end up with the equivalent of teenage babysitters instead of caregivers trained in child development, conflict resolution, early learning, and first aid -- or else no before- and after-school care at all, which kind of defeats the alleged purpose of full-day kindergarten -- it's supposed to be so great for working parents. 'Cos, y'know, soooo many parents work from 9:00 to 3:00 :P

Anyway, if the full-day program isn't cramming in twice as much "academics" as a regular half-day program -- that is, if the other half is more free play and running around outside, not more worksheets and stupid reading drills -- then I'd say there's nothing much wrong with it. That's basically what my DD had, since she went to kindergarten in the afternoon and child care in the morning, and it worked out fine. If it's an effort to cram in more age-inappropriate academic work, then I'd recommend avoiding it like the plague.

Pam - posted on 05/11/2010

My daughter is in full day and her teacher explained that although they learn the same things as half day they get to spend more time on them. They also have a rest/nap time after lunch. The only problem we've had is that my daughter is having behavior issues that I believe are due to her not being able to pay attention for that amount of time. So, if you feel your child is still a bit socially immature you may want to opt for half day.

Tina - posted on 05/11/2010

This year our school went to full day kindergarten and my daughter started kindergarten this year. She went to a preschool which was only twice a week for 2 1/2 hours each day. I thought that she would be exhausted and overwhelmed, but I was wrong. She loves it! They have a rest time after luch so the kids can have a break. If they nap it's ok, but my daughter never does. I think she enjoys the break though. They also go to music, art and PE classes. The thing is that the teachers have to teach the same amount of information whether they are there a half day or all day. So my opinion is that it is better because they aren't trying to cram information into a small period of time. They can spend more time on things, which helps with the child's understanding. It also prepares them for 1st grade which is all day and so the child won't be overwhelmed with full time school. Hope this information is helpful to you. Good luck.

Stephanie - posted on 05/07/2010

wi used to have full day 4k kindergarten, but due to cut backs it is 4 half days. i think full days is better it gets them ready for regular school habbits

Cherie - posted on 05/07/2010

For most children, full-day Kindergarten is definitely the way to go! It's not just a convenience for working parents! We have way too many children who are lacking important skills they need for learning to read. For stay-at-home moms who are reading to their kids and working on a lot of those skills themselves, a half-day program may be fine. Most kids these days will gain important skills they need, given that gift of extra time in Kindergarten, and will be more ready for 1st grade. Someone said that research shows that it doesn't make a difference. I don't know what study that was, but there is plenty of research saying that it does make a difference. I made sure my two daughters, oldest child and youngest child, both had a full-day program. My son had a 1/2 day program, but he is in the gifted/talented program and didn't need the extra time.

For those who say that you get the same curriculum no matter which program you choose, it's the difference between giving the child time to actually master the skills or feeling the time pressure of getting all the skills in with no extra time to simply enjoy books, music, make-believe, etc.

Maia - posted on 05/06/2010

My boys went to full day kindergarten. The oldest went to a every other day full day that I do not recommend but the next was in M-F full day kindergarten. If you are worried about having a napper, they get used to it after about 3 days. There really isn't any difference academically between 1/2 and full day. But my little guy really like having lunch at school and being there all day like a big boy.

Elaine - posted on 05/06/2010

hi! I taught kindergarten and there were half and full day children in the same class. They were taught the same academics regardless of how long they stayed. The only difference for full day children was they received more reinforcement activities in the afternoon and also had more play time because they were there longer. They did seem to be more social at the time but as I watched them move up in grades they were all very social (depending on their personality of course) and it didn't seem to matter if they were full or half day. As a teacher I preferred full day b/c it allowed more time for each subject and I was able to give the children more free time when they needed it.
Good Luck!

Misty - posted on 05/05/2010

Our local schools are all full day. I agree with another poster who said they only do full day because of so many parents who work. Our local schools offer public preschools and in those classes the 2nd 1/2 of the day is nap, and free play, while the morning is academics. So, maybe your school K program is like that? I homeschool my daughter in Kindergarten, and we can get done with our activities in about 1-2 hours. So, I would opt for 1/2 day if it was my child and you were tossed about it.

Lisa - posted on 05/05/2010

I cant imagine those youngsters in school all day. Trust me, they will have plenty of time to learn. Keep those babies home!

Sherri - posted on 05/04/2010

Truly the only reason the are starting with full day kindergarten's in some schools are for parents who work full time and otherwise would have to find daycare. So usually it is the exact same academically with a lot more creative, free time in the afternoon a lot like a daycare.

Brooke - posted on 05/04/2010

A friend of mine has a little boy who had full day class and said the morning was academics and the afternoon was for arts, gym, and music type activities. She is very happy with full day kindergarten.
My school district is still 1/2 day and they say studies show that full day kindergartners are no more educated than 1/2 day kindergartners. So they intend to stay as half day.

Shekelia - posted on 05/04/2010

I feel that if your child was in preschool half a day then they should do very well in a full day kinder