District 202 Board Of Education Hears Full-Day Kindergarten Plan

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield School District presented options for full-day kindergarten to the Board of Education Monday night. Officials say full-day kindergarten is one of the district's top priorities, but there is currently not room for the approximately 1,500 students who would be eligible.

The district currently operates a half-day kindergarten program. Illinois does not require schools to have a kindergarten program at all, but families have clamored for it for years, the district said last month. Parents have cited both the educational benefits of kindergarten and the financial benefits it would provide parents strapped for child-care costs.

The district launched a pilot program in 2016 for two dozen students from each of the district's 17 elementary schools. Officials say the full-day pilot program and standard half-day curriculum are the same, but full-day kindergarten allows teachers more instruction time, in addition to more play-based learning.

The district identified four options to expand the full-day program to all eligible students:

• Building an additional elementary school
• Building an addition to the Bonnie McBeth Learning Center and implementing space saving options in the 17 elementary schools
• Building an addition to Bonnie McBeth Learning Center; moving all satellite preschool programs out of the elementary schools; and adjusting elementary attendance zones
• Implementing multiple space saving options to allow current elementary home schools to house full-day kindergarten.

Administrators shared the potential benefits and drawbacks of each approach, including cost, sustainability, enrollment growth, impact on class size, curriculum and resources, according to a news released.

While the board took no action Monday night, officials said the presentation is just the first of three planned on this and other topics, including adding an extra high school period and modifying school start times.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28.

Image via District 202