Full-Day Kindergarten in California

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the pros and cons of full-day kindergarten in California public schools. The author cites sources in favor of and against full-day kindergarten programs. The author says that these programs may hinder the development of children by not giving them enough time to run and play freely. On the other hand, the author contends, for lower-income families, a full-day program can be very beneficial. The author concludes that full-day kindergarten programs are more of an advantage than a disadvantage to today's children.

From the Paper:

"By definition, Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) is a class taught by a certified staff member that exceeds four hours in length, and although districts in California do not receive additional funds to lengthen the kindergarten day, there is growing interest in this subject. Previous to June of 2004, the law regarding kindergarten required that pupils must not be kept in school for more than four hours a day, excluding time for recess. After this date, Assembly Bill 2407 was passed which made FDK an option. In this bill, several requirements for districts that chose to provide FDK included 1) the hours of the extended-day program may not exceed the hours for which services are offered for pupils in other grades that receive instructional services at the school site; 2) the extended-day program shall offer opportunities for rest as well as active experiences; 3)
the extended-day program shall be based on curriculum developed to provide opportunities for social, physical, and intellectual growth and development, and 4) the extended-day program shall meet any other criteria developed by the State Board of Education."

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