FULL-TIME KINDERGARTEN -
What the research says

1. Full-Day Kindergarten Boosts Student Achievement
Longitudinal data demonstrates that children in full-day classes show greater reading and mathematics achievement gains than those in half-day classes.

Walston, Jill and West, Jerry. Full-Day and Half-Day Kindergarten in the United States: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2004.

Ackerman, Debora J., Barnett, W. Steven, and Robin, Kenneth B. Making the Most of Kindergarten: Present Trends and Future Issues in the Provision of Full-day Programs. National Institute for Early Education Research, March, 2005- http://nieer.org/docs/?DocID=118.

Full-day kindergarten can produce long-term educational gains, especially for low-income and minority students.

Plucker, Jonathan A, Eaton, Jessica J,, Rapp, Kelly E., et. al. Floe Effects of Full Day Versus Half Day Kindergarten: Review and Analysis of National and Indiana Data. Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, January 2004. www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/pdf/fulldaykreport.pdf.

Cryan, John R., Sheehan, Robert, Wiechel, Jane, and Bandy-Hedden, Irene G. "Success outcomes of full-day kindergarten: More positive behavior and increased achievement in the years after." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1992, v. 7, no. 2, 187-203.

Education Commission of the States. Full-Day Kindergarten Programs Improve Chances of Academic Success. The Progress of Education Reform 2004, ECS, v. 5, no. 4, September 2004.

Montgomery County Public Schools. Early Success: Closing the Opportunity Gap for Our Youngest Learners. Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools, July 2004, www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/superintendent/docs/early_success.pdf

Viadero, Debra. "Study: Full Day Kindergarten Boosts Academic Performance." Education Week, April 17, 2002, v. 21, no. 31, p. 14.

2. Full-Day Kindergarten Improves Students' Social and Emotional Skills

A full day of learning offers social, emotional and intellectual benefits to kindergartners. They have more time to focus on activities, to reflect on activities and to transition between activities.

Ackerman, Debora J., Barnett, W. Steven, and Robin, Kenneth B. Making the Most of Kindergarten: Present Trends and Future Issues in the Provision of Full-day Programs. National Institute for Early Education Research, March, 2005. http://nieer.org/docs/?DocID=118.

Cryan, John R., Sheehan, Robert, Wiechel, Jane, and Bandy-Hedden, Irene G. "Success outcomes of full-day kindergarten: More positive behavior and increased achievement in the years after." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1992, v. 7, no. 2, 187-203

3. Full-Day Kindergarten Is a Sound Educational Investment

Recent research has demonstrated that funds invested in quality early education programs produce powerful returns on investment.

Heckman, James J. and Masrerov, Dimitriy V. The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children. Working Paper 5, Invest in Kids Working Group, Committee for Economic Development, October 2004. http://jenni.uchicago.edu/Invest/.

Lynch, Robert. Exceptional Returns: Economic, Fiscal and Social Benefits of Investment in Early Childhood Education. Economic Policy Institute, 2005- www.epinet.org/content.cfm/books_exceptional_returns.

Full-day kindergarten provides a bridge between prekindergarten programs and the early elementary years.

Education Commission of the States. Full-Day Kindergarten: A Study of State Policies in the United States. ECS, June 2005.

Full-day kindergarten enables teachers to assess students' needs and abilities more effectively, leading to early intervention.

Plucker, Jonathan A, Eaton, Jessica J., Rapp, Kelly E., et. al. The Effects of Full Day Versus Half Day Kindergarten: Review and Analysis of National and Indiana Data. Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, January 2004. www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/pdf/fulldaykreport.pdf.

4. Teachers Prefer Full-Day Kindergarten

Teachers get to know students better; they are able to develop a richer understanding of students' needs and, in turn, to develop activities and lessons to meet those needs.

Elicker, J. and Mathur, S. "What do they do all day? Comprehensive evaluation of a full-day kindergarten." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v.12, no. 4, pp. 459-480, 1997.

5. Full-Day Kindergarten Is Optimal for Parents

Comparison studies demonstrate that parents prefer full-day kindergarten.

Early Education for All. "Investing in Full-Day Kindergarten Is Essential." Citing West,Jerry, Denton,Kristin, and Germino-Hausken, Elvira. Americas Kindergartners. National Center for Educational Statistics, 2000.

Education Commission of the States. Full-Day Kindergarten: A Study of State Policies in the United States. ECS, June 2005.

Additional Organizations/Web Sites

Early Education for All - www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/eea_home.htm. This Massachusetts campaign is a coalition of leaders from business, early childhood, labor, religion, health care, education and philanthropy, working in partnership with parents, grassroots leaders and state policymakers to make publicly funded, high-quality preschool education and full-day public school kindergarten available to every Massachusetts child. The Web site features full-day kindergarten research as well as draft legislation.

Full-Day Kindergarten: Exploring an Option for Extended Learning

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory - www.nwrel.org/request/dec2002/index.html. Contains resources for parents, teachers, school administrators and policymakers.

Education Commission of the States-Kindergarten Database, www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/ html/educationlssues/ECSStateNotes.asp. Includes comprehensive information on state kindergarten funding and statutes.

National Association for the Education of Young Children - www.naeyc.org. NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children with a focus on birth to age 8. See the Early Childhood Issues section of their Web site for research and advocacy information.

National Conference of State Legislatures - www.ncsl.org. Maintains detailed information about state legislatures, including when they meet and how they are structured.

National Institute for Early Education Research - www.nieer.org. NIEER supports early childhood education initiatives by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. The NIEER Web site contains an Expert Database with profiles and contact information for experts in early childhood education.

Pre-K Now-Resources - www.preknow.org. Pre-K Now is a public education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds. Visit the Resources section of their Web site for more information about the early education climates in different states.