Full-Day Kindergarten??

(post by Marissa) If you don't know I have a small obsession with education and learning; especially when it comes to my future children's education. When I was growing up, I went to kindergarten in the afternoon. I stayed at home in the morning and went to kindergarten in the afternoon. You had the option of morning/afternoon/full day. I don't know anyone that did full day because all of my friend's moms stayed home. When I think about it, I am actually surprised because in a place like NJ, I did not have 1 close friend where their mom worked....Anyways, now it seems like every school is full day kindergarten. And it is not for the kids; it's for the parents. I was speaking with a co-worker and she was saying that after lunch, they just have a nap and a snack. This kind of annoyed me because we always had a snack when we got home and that is when my mom would catch up with us. We certainly weren't just going to sit at the table at the age of 5 and tell her how our day went; but because we needed a snack we sat there and talked with her. Well if they already have a snack, then there is no need to talk to mom about their day! We did not go to daycare or 2 years of pre-school etc, however; I would consider most of the kids in my family fairly intelligent and successful. However, there are def. some late bloomers in my family. Rarely were the bird kids the first to read, etc. However, within a few short years we had passed all the kids that seemed so smart at a young age because while we didn't know some things, we had stronger brains from more positive learning environment in the home. We played a lot and had good discussions with other siblings/parents, etc; which allowed us to pass the other kids. This article below discusses this exact thing. That while a full day kindergarten may put the kid ahead for that 1 year; the effects do not last long and are usually passed by other children. So, it doesn't matter if your kid can read at 4 or 5. What really matters is the strength of the brain and surprisingly a lot of that can be developed from healthy interaction and playing with your children. Children have to use their brain a lot when they play! When I am looking at schools, I hope I can find one that gives my child a half day kindergarten even if some think he/she will be behind for 1 year...he/she will pass the others in time. I mean they are all going to learn how to read and learn those basic math skills. If I teach them 1 on 1, I can teach them the same amount in about 1 hour when it would take the teacher about 2 or 3 hours. If they are at school all day, then the last thing they are going to want to do with me is learn for another hour. Also, when playing and talking with them, you can throw in a lot of teaching in a more fun/interesting way. I think at that young age there are a lot more ways to teach children than just in a formal classroom, you can get their brain thinking and working in lots of ways. I think they will develop their brain more, enjoy learning more, and be smarter if they are developing their brain in more unique ways than just sitting in a classroom. In fact the most expensive schools, Montessori schools practice this form of learning. For whatever reason I have a small passion for this..maybe I'll get on a school board when I have kids or at least the PTA :)

As a sidenote it was kind of easy for my mom because I had several siblings to play and interact with. So I learned a lot from my older siblings. Also, I did go to pre-school at Tomorrow's World and loved it. I am not advocating pre-school at home or home school, but full day kindergarten is not really necessary....And I believe in the option for morning/afternoon/full day. Who knows maybe with hte first full day kindergarted would be good because they may get bored at home with just younger siblings....I just like options :)

http://health.msn.com/kids-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100213884&GT1=31036