Full Day Kindergarten vs Half Day

The school year is nearly over. I'd put her in the public school so that she would get to know neighborhood kids.

My granddaughter is now in the 6th grade. Her best friend was in her Kindergarten class. There is an advantage to going thru school with neighborhood kids.

Also, kindergarten is more advanced academically than preschool.

Or are you talking about for next year? If so, put her name on the wait list. There are always a few kids who don't show up that have signed up.

Does your daughter nap? If so, ask if they get any rest time in full day kindergarten. My son went to preschool and in FL - we have VPK which is a 5 day per week program and ours was from 8-2 but they got to have a nap/rest time for an hour. He was still napping the day before he began kindergarten - also 8-2 but with no time for a nap or rest. He spent the first several months of kinder asking if he could go to a kinder at another school - one with naps! He just needs a lot of sleep. He has adjusted and now he seems to make up for it with 2+ hour naps on the weekend:)

Have you gone to your public school to see it and do a tour? Do that first and see if it is as acceptable as your private school choice. Can you register your daughter for the 1/2 day program at the public school but put her on the list for the full day program? Personally, as a financial planner, I don't suggest that parents pay for private school in elementary if it is not necessary. Save the $$ towards college and your retirement!

Good luck!

If she has gone to school for that long and is doing well academically, then I would recommend full-day. Half-day kindergarten doesn't really get much accomplished. You can always switch her over to the public school in 1st grade. If you really want her to play/get to know the neighborhood kids, then just set up play dates with them. It will take more effort on your part, but in the long run may be better for her. You know your child better than anyone, so you and your husband are the ones who will know which is the best choice.

Welcome to MN. Full day kindergarten is definitely the wave of the future and I've heard good things about it. It sounds like your daughter is ready. However, my kids did fine with 1/2 day kindergarten and it did not hurt them academically. They are honors students in 6th and 9th grade. Ask both schools you are considering about the curriculum. Meet with teachers and the principals. It was my understanding at the time when my kids were in kindergarten that the academic curriculums of 1/2 day and full day were the same. The full day kids had opportunities like gym, music, library and extra field trips that the 1/2 day kids didn't have. There is also "filler time" like lunch and rest.

1/2 day was the best option for us for a variety of reasons. I was also home with my kids and tried to make the other half of their day enriching. We went to the Zoo, the Children's Museum, the Science Museum, the YMCA, etc.

I don't know what suburb (assuming a suburb) or school district you are in, but I am in ISD #196. Feel free to PM if you have any additional or specific questions.

If she is mature, I would put her in a full day.
It allows time for the teachers to really work on more thorough projects and concepts.

Our daughter loved school. She loved her friends, her teacher.. Sometimes at the end of the week, she would say she wished she could go to school on Saturday.

You will see great progress.

This is the probable daily schedule for either class:

8am, morning group time. Circle time. A time for them to do the weather, the color of the week, number of the week, etc...it usually doesn't last more than 20-30 minutes. Then they might go to the tables for some project, art activity, worksheet, writing, reading, etc...something class like.

Then they might have a morning snack. Then recess. They'll probably go outside or play in the classroom for a half hour. Then it's back in the classroom for some more education time until lunch time. Once they come inside that would normally be the time half day kids would go home.

The next thing the kids that are full day would do it actually go to lunch. They would go play afterwards for a few minutes but not too long. Then they would have rest time. They would be expected to nap each day or rest quietly on their pad until it is time to get up. They usually stop the nap/rest time after Christmas Break. Until then they encourage the kids to take the nap.

Once they are up they will have an afternoon snack and have some more scheduled time in the classroom. Most of the time the teacher had them sitting at the tables after snacks and the stayed pretty focused on stuff until it was either a play time or time to leave. They did have another time outside if the weather permitted.

I would ask the school specifically about the daily schedule for the classes so you can make an informed decision.

We have 1/2 day K but it's more than 2 hours... That's super short. But what I did for awhile was sign my daughter up for the aftercare program. Do you have that? We have a very nice one and it offered "teaching" for an extra fee. I thought my daughter would be too bored coming home every day too. Her last year of preK was about 5 hours. They offered a short aftercare program just for K'ers. So I wasn't paying until 6pm. If you're looking at private school tuition otherwise, this is likely a lot cheaper in the long run. My daughter isn't super social though so actually didn't want to keep going. So you never know if your daughter may be happy coming home.

My son does fine in full day and he only got about 3 weeks of the 2 day a week half day preschool, plus Sunday school for 2 hours each Sunday.

But really, she sounds well adjusted and has been going to preschool for a whole. I think half day would be good for her too. If she really wants more to do when she gets home, there are tons of easy little readers workbooks for her age that you can get, pretty much anywhere.

It does not matter, to me... if she attends a school that is comprised of "neighborhood kids," or not.
Kids make friends, via their school.

1) Can you continue to afford sending her to the all day private school?
2) Is your daughter happy at this school?
3) If the public school program is only 2 hours a day currently, per wait lists... then after that, you can home school her. And "extend" the day that way. Perhaps.

our school district has half day kinder.. (free) or full day kinder ($3400 per year tuitioin) they educational goals are the same.. they cover the same material in the half day and full dya program. the full day kids get 2 recesses, a nap lunch and a extra special (gym art music)... they have scheduled playtime into the school day.. the half day kids come in.. do the work and get a 15-20 minute recess 3 days a week.

You really need to compare what the kids will be learning .. .not how many hours they are in the classroom. Also.. what will you do with your daughter the other 1/2 day if she is at home?? we have loads of fun on our half days at home.. we go to libraries parks, zoo.. all kinds of fun things.. remember... this is your last year with your daughter.. before she starts mandatory full day school for 12 grades.. why not have fun and do enrichment activites with her..??

i went to half day nursery school as well as kindergarten.. in my elementary school the all day kindergarten was reserved for only the kids whose parents had full time 5 days a week jobs and couldnt have them in half a day school.. it was 3 hours though not 2 .. and the kids that went to all day kindergarten were also automatically in the afterschool program.. kindergarten got out at 230 and they would have 2 teachers aids take the all day kids down to the gym and watch them until 430 or wenever the parents could pick them up .. but basically if the parents were home and it was possible to do half day kindergarten they were definatley discouraged from doing the all day one

That's a tough one given the move. We have been debating what to do with my son since we don't like the district we are in but are in no place to move right now. I guess a lot depends on your daughter. For my son, he is in a full day daycare with preschool program so can handle the full day, just like your daughter. I too am concerned with him being bored if he is in a half day program because we would have him in before and after school care which I am not sure how much learning they do. We are also considering private school up until 6th grade and then on to public middle school which about 50% of the kids do. I don't want to be moving him around a lot and this is our best solution until we can get into the district. (plus the other benefits of PS) We have a lot of kids in our neighborhood that we see out playing all the time so I am not as worried about that. he will still have them as friends.

Based on how you describe your daughter, it sounds like she would be happiest in the all-day K class. She will get more of the "extras" by going all day (art, music, science, etc).