DANVERS — Heeding a call by Gov. Deval Patrick for universal, full-day kindergarten, the Danvers schools will start such a program for 5-year-olds this fall, leaning on a sizable state grant to smooth the way.
The town joins a handful of North Shore communities to offer five full days of kindergarten free: Ipswich, Manchester, Essex, Peabody and Salem. Other communities offer full-day kindergarten programs, too, but they charge fees for students to attend a portion of the week.
"I support full-time kindergarten completely," said Connie Pawlak, a member of the School Committee, which unanimously approved the measure Monday night. The program hinges on approval of the budget in the coming months, but school officials said the program will not add to the bottom line or increase the number of elementary teachers. A $195,000 state grant will pay for the transition.
The push to full-day kindergarten for all youngsters was the consensus of a Full-Day Kindergarten Subcommittee, which presented its findings Monday night to the School Committee.
"We have the space available, and we are recommending not charging a fee," said Thorpe School Principal Rita Ward, who helped study space and enrollment needs. "Our goal is to provide an equitable experience to all our students."
The town has about 241 kindergartners in half-day and multiage programs, and Assistant Superintendent Susan Ambrozavitch said enrollment projections show that number is unlikely to rise.
To make room for full-day kindergarten, Ambrozavitch said a classroom needs to be freed up in each school, with much of the space coming from an enrollment "bubble" in the fifth grade that will graduate out of the elementary schools this spring.
The schools will need to add three full-time and two half-time kindergarten teacher positions, according to a draft of the school budget presented Monday night.
Those positions would come from the elimination of two fifth-grade positions, along with reduction of a third- and a fourth-grade teacher position. Those positions would be used to pay for the kindergarten teachers.
Parents' support
There appears to be widespread support, according to a survey of 246 preschool parents, which found 85 percent of them wanted a full-day program, while 15 percent said they preferred a half-day, said Rosemary Day, who teaches a hybrid kindergarten/first-grade program at Great Oak School.
A survey of early education teachers in the system found 61 percent strongly agreed with full-day kindergarten, 29 percent agreed and 10 percent had no opinion. Of the teachers surveyed, 95 percent disagreed that "the existing K/1 program is equitable for all students."
Smith School kindergarten/first-grade teacher Christine Enegess said research shows full-day kindergarten can make a difference in a child's language, social and academic skills later on.
"Part-time kindergarten programs can address all the components to a limited extent," Enegess said. "Full-time programs can enhance them."
The vote Monday night would eliminate a hodgepodge of kindergarten offerings, including half-day and multiage programs. Presently, 136 students attend half-day kindergarten three days a week, and 105 attend mixed-age classes with first-graders. This latter program is part time in the fall, full time in the winter and spring.
Ambrozavitch said the district last struggled with this question in 2002, and the subcommittee of parents, principals and teachers did not come to the issue with one mind.
"We all came to the table with different perspectives, different beliefs and different biases on how this committee should go," she said.
She said the trend is toward full-day kindergarten in the state, where 66 percent of 5-year-olds attend public, full-day classes, up from 43 percent in 2001.
To gauge the effectiveness of full-time kindergarten, a subcommittee visited Salem, Lynnfield and Woburn. The group found that Salem has offered full-day kindergarten for 18 years. Salem allows parents who think the day is too long to pick up their children before lunch. Some School Committee members asked about that option, but Monday they just voted to offer the program.
To pay for the new program, the district received a $195,000 "Transition to Full-Day Kindergarten" grant from the state. The money would pay for a coordinator to oversee the program at a cost of $50,000. This new position would only last for the duration of the grant. The money will pay for stipends, consultants, materials, supplies, administrative support staff and furniture, but not for more teachers.
Kindergarten on the North Shore
Free part-time kindergarten is the minimum state requirement for all schools. For some, that means five half-days a week; for others, kindergartners go to school all day, a few days a week. Here's how it works at local schools:
School district What's offered
Beverly Tuition required for full day
Boxford Three full days free; tuition required for the other two days
Danvers Will offer free full-day, full-time kindergarten starting this fall
Hamilton-Wenham Full-day program tuition-based; free half-day option available
Ipswich Free full-day, full-time kindergarten
Manchester-Essex Free full-day, full-time kindergarten, but first month is a half-day
Marblehead Full-time offered at a cost
Middleton Two full days and a half-day free
Peabody Free full-day, full-time kindergarten
Salem Free full-day, full-time kindergarten
Swampscott 8:30 a.m. to noon with extended day for a fee
Topsfield Three full days; tuition for the other two days
Source: Full-Day Kindergarten Report, individual school districts
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