half-day kindergarten

[Anonymous]

GUys,
what age can kids start kindergarten? Isn't this preschool we are talking about?

[Anonymous]

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OEIAS/title1/schools.htm

The other link didn't work to find FCPS Title I schools, but the above does. Our school is not Title I, but the next school over is. I really hope they don't cut all day kindergarten. that would be such a step back for my child, who has been in an all day program for 3 years now (2 years of preschool and 1 of pre-k).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GUys,
what age can kids start kindergarten? Isn't this preschool we are talking about?

In most school districts kids need to be 5 by a certain cutoff date like Sept 1st.

I think OP was thinking ahead to the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are "Title 1" elementary schools? Can someone point me to where I can find out about the full day K being axed? I find it hard to find very specific info. in search on the FFX Co. schools website.

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2011.htm

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2011/possiblecuts1119.pdf

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OEIAS/title1/about.htm

To find the Title 1 schools, try this: http://commweb.fcps.edu/directory/byprogram.cfm

If this doesn't work, at fcps.edu, click on "Schools and Centers" at the top and search by Special Program.

I don't know about likelihood, but it's the second largest $$ savings on the current proposed list of cuts, so I would suspect it's pretty real.

Wow, thanks for the response! I will look into these.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Forgive me if I estimated incorrectly, but even if they adopted every cut on that strawman list, they would not come up with $176 million ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they switch to half-day K, chances are it will be even more of a pressure cooker since they will squeeze all of that "learnin" into 3 hrs. I doubt switching to half-day will do anything to make it more developmentally appropriate.

Our FCPS school never went to full-day K and I would hardly call it a pressure cooker. I really like half-day K, but I am a SAHM and do not have to worry about childcare.

[Anonymous]

Let me guess PP. Your child's school is in a nice area with educated parents and high property taxes? It isn't a pressure cooker b/c the kids at those schools will test well anyway. No need for such crazy test prep. The schools that went to full-day K first were the ones in lower income areas where the test scores were low. They were hardly making full day K just for the students' benefit. If they get rid of full day K, I am sure they will keep it in lower income areas (ie Title 1 schools).

[Anonymous]

I felt similarly when my child was 3, but now that he's 5 (and we live in an area with 1/2 day K), I am not so excited about it. He's ready for more than a half day, which is not even a half day, more like 2 hours 35 minutes. When I visited the school it felt intense and crammed. Also, most of the K classes at the school are in the afternoon rather than the morning. The idea of a free afternoon for a child is one thing but the idea of having to fill the mornings, while the younger children are at preschool, and then have my older child fed and ready to head off for academics at 12:30 seems very unappealing.