Push for all day kindergarten in FCPS schools

Parents, teachers and administrators push for all-day kindergarten in Fairfax County

By Kali Schumitz
Fairfax County Times
Thursday, February 3, 2011; T14



Parents, teachers and administrators from 37 Fairfax County elementary schools with half-day kindergarten are lobbying the School Board to resume the process of expanding full-day kindergarten to all schools.

Some parents said they think it's unfair that kindergartners are getting a different quality of education depending on where they live in Fairfax County.

In 2006, Fairfax County public schools officials approved a plan to establish full-day kindergarten at all 137 elementary schools in the county by the 2009-10 academic year. At that point, 63 schools still had half-day kindergarten.

But budget constraints after the housing market crash, and its resultant drop in revenue to the county, stalled that plan in fiscal 2009, as officials no longer had funds for new programs. That left 37 schools with half-day kindergarten.

The 2006 cost estimate for the expansion plan was $5.4 million in fiscal 2009 and $12 million in fiscal 2010, which included additional teaching positions and renovations to add classroom space at some schools. Officials have not produced an updated cost estimate for completing the expansion to full-day kindergarten.

Some surrounding jurisdictions, including Alexandria and Prince William and Arlington counties, have full-day kindergarten. Loudoun County schools have half-day kindergarten.

According to Fairfax County's description of its full-day kindergarten program, "the extended day provides increased time for students to further develop their social, emotional and cognitive skills, actively engage in child-initiated small-group experiences, and interact with others."

Parents of children who attend half-day classes at county schools, as well as teachers and administrators, said during a budget hearing Jan. 24 that the shorter day is too rushed and can harm students' chances of success. More than 60 speakers attended the hearing.

"Teachers must teach and students must learn the same amount of information in half the amount of time," said Melaney Mackin, principal of Silverbrook Elementary School in Fairfax Station, which has half-day kindergarten. Mackin also is president of the Fairfax Association of Elementary School Principals.

Principals from most of the other elementary schools that have half-day kindergarten joined her at the podium as she delivered her remarks.

"The pace of learning is like drinking through a fire hose," said parent Melissa Mihocko of Lorton, noting that students in full-day kindergarten have about 500 more hours of instruction per year than those in half-day programs.

In Fairfax County, full-day kindergarten lasts seven hours and 40 minutes, except Mondays, when all county elementary schools are released two-and-a-half hours early. In comparison, half-day kindergarten is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, each of which last three hours and 15 minutes, or two hours Mondays.

Although the school system made an effort to implement full-day programs first at schools with high numbers of low-income students, Mackin and other speakers noted that such students are present at every school in the county.

The program expansion is not included in Superintendent Jack D. Dale's $2.2 billion proposed budget for fiscal 2012. The School Board will finalize the system's official budget request and will amend it in the spring, once the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves the county funding level for the schools.