How Long is Too Long for Kindergarten?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 22 Jun 2009 01:24 PM My baby begins kindergarten in the fall. Half-day kindergarten. For roughly four hours or so each day, my loquacious daughter will be chatting the ears off of some woman, who probably looks nothing like me, and a gaggle of kids who probably act just like her. Four hours. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself. NOT! (Can you say three jobs and a never-ending battle with dirty clothes, the dishwasher and dust bunnies?) Still, when I think of how long kids in one Canadian province might have to spend in kindergarten, I'm liking the sound of four hours more and more. According to reports, if lawmakers get their way, students as young as four years old would be inside a school building (save for recesses) for almost 11 hours per day. Legislators essentially want to combine kindergarten with daycare. If the proposal passes, kids would enter a school building at 7:30 a.m. and not go home until 6 p.m. The plan focuses primarily on four- and five-year-olds by extending the kindergarten program from the early morning to the early evening. Proponents of the move say the new program would keep kids out of daycare centers, thereby saving parents a lot of money. In addition, those in favor of the program say it would eliminate the need to shuffle children around during the day from a daycare facility in the morning to school, and then back to daycare or to another type of after school program. Eleven hours for a four year old to be anywhere is A LOT. I can't imagine sending my child to school/daycare for 11 hours straight. However, I can see why some parents, who work outside the home for 9-11 hours a day, see the program as a saving grace. Seriously, though, is this combined service too much, too soon for kids their age? And what of the curriculum? What could you possibly do to hold a four-year-old's attention for 11 hours (taking in account lunch, recess and naptime)? What are your feelings about this type of "schooling?" Related Articles: How Much Do You Help With Homework? Do You Punish Your Kids for Bad Grades? Are You a Teacher's Worst Nightmare? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanteducation tags User Comments Samual (11722) 22 Jun 2009 01:56 PMThat is far too long, our oldest who is five goes to school from 9-3, quite a few schools here do run 7-6 though for parents who choose not to look after their children, even for an older child it is far too long to be in the care of people other than your family.  Mary Ann Romans (26791) 23 Jun 2009 05:59 AMOur oldest child went to full day Kindergarten (a requirement at his old district), and it was too much.  Michele Cheplic |
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