All-Day, Everyday Kindergarten Has Momentum at Minnesota Capitol

Momentum seems to be gathering at the Minnesota State Capitol for a funded, all-day kindergarten program. 

Leadership from the Minnesota Senate and House are in lockstep with Gov. Mark Dayton, who as said since his State of the State address he would be making full day programs a priority in 2013. 

Sen. Chuck Wiger, a leader in the DFL-controlled Senate, agreed. Early this session, he said said the funding would provide “an important step toward enhancing Minnesota’s commitment to quality education for all children.” 

The House budget, unveiled in late March, includes funding for all-day programs for "any district that wants it." 

The State Senate's version of the budget includes more than $485 million in education spending, the bulk allocated to fund all-day kindergarten.

Currently, districts from Minnetonka and Eden Prairie in the Metro area to Moorhead in the western part of the state offer a tuition-based kindergarten program that offers full-day programming. (See Which Minnetonka Kindergarten Option Is Best For Your Child?) 

At Minnetonka schools, Extended Day K is designed for those children who are ready for a longer day in a learning environment but is not intended to accelerate students. The fee for Extended Day K is $4,100 for the year, plus a $100 registration fee. Payment plans and scholarships are available.

"The district certainly supports optional full-day Kindergarten," said district spokesperson Janet Swiecichowski. "There are some families who really value the half-day program, so we wouldn't want to see a mandatory all-day Kindergarten."

The key for the district is that the funding needs to back up the plan.

None of the current proposals at the state-level completely fund Kindergarten for all children. So far, two proposals at the Capitol include an increase in funding (but not fully funding) and fully funding all-day Kindergarten for students at the poverty level or below.

Swiecichowski said the district currently offers scholarships for families who want full-day Kindergarten but cannot afford it.

Some districts, including Minneapolis, are discussing defunding all-day programs in part or entirely and returning to a half-day offering because of costs. 

and offer it to district residents only. 

The state Department of Education estimates about six in 10 students in full-day programs. About $2,200 in the so-called per pupil payments would be required in state money to fund programs.

Education Minnesota, the state's largest teachers' union, said the DFL's unity behind full-day kindergarten is a step in the right direction. 

“Leaders clearly listened to Minnesotans, who have said that the state should invest in small class sizes; free, all-day, every day, kindergarten; and a strong higher education system,” said Tom Dooher, president of Education Minnesota. “These kind of investments are precisely what Minnesota needs to create the nation’s best workforce.”

Swiecichowski said the Minnetonka School District asks parents to be "thoughtful when looking at the language of the bills coming forward."

"It is easy to see all-day Kindergarten as a wonderful option for families," she said. "But the rules they put behind the funding are really what are important for us to look at." 

Do you think all-day Kindergarten is best for our children? Should it be a choice or required? Should it be tuition-based or paid in full by the state?