The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released its eligibility list for state funding for full-day kindergarten last week, and none of the schools in the Bellingham School District qualify for the 2008-09 school year. However, the district's All-Day Kindergarten Task Force is working to determine how to otherwise fund and phase in full-day kindergarten beginning in pilot schools in 2009.
"The research on full-day kindergarten is clear that the extra time, combined with the right program, can have a significant impact on student achievement. Full-day kindergarten presents opportunities for more in-depth instruction, stronger relationships between students, their parents and teachers, and more individualized learning with support, practice and enrichment opportunities," says Superintendent Kenneth Vedra. "We want to offer the highest quality full-day kindergarten program that provides a balance of academic, social and emotional skills for every student. We know that this is a critical step in closing the achievement gap for students who may not have had preschool or early childhood learning opportunities. Our task force is being thorough in its work to ensure that we have a dynamic program that will serve students who come to us with a wide variety of skills and needs."
The task force, made up of parents, staff and community members, is working on a comprehensive plan for the district's future full-day kindergarten program that will include:
- A research-based curriculum plan for the program, including how instruction will connect to what students learn in preschool and grades one and two;
- Research on the program's impact on student learning;
- Ongoing professional development plan for staff;
- Districtwide phase one plan with selection criteria for schools that will be the first to offer full-day kindergarten;
- Program evaluation plan;
- Finance plan that incorporates both state, local and tuition funding on a sliding scale based on family income for program sustainability;
- Ancillary services plan (transportation, food services, etc);
- Communications plan for implementation; and
- Site visits for staff to model locations that are offering full-day kindergarten.
Northern Heights Elementary School Principal Wendy Barrett is the chair for the task force. Click here to follow the group's work. Plans for full-day kindergarten will be complete in 2009.
The district will continue to set aside a limited amount of funding for future full-day kindergarten and will reapply for state funding for the 2009-2010 school year.
Meanwhile, all district elementary schools will offer kindergarten from 9 to 11:35 a.m. this fall. Because of classroom space limitations, Carl Cozier, Columbia, Geneva, Happy Valley, Larrabee, Northern Heights and Sunnyland will offer afternoon daily kindergarten sessions from 12:55 to 3:30 p.m., in addition to morning kindergarten. An after-school program for qualifying kindergarten students, known as the KIDS program, will continue to be available at the following Title I schools: Alderwood, Birchwood, Parkview, Roosevelt and Sunnyland.
For more information about registering for kindergarten, click here.
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