For some children, the transition to kindergarten is as easy as “one, two, three.”
By the time some children start attending kindergarten, daycare, or even going to grandma’s for the day, they may be more than ready to spread their wings and spend a large portion of the day without their parents.
But what about the little ones who aren’t so keen to fly?
One mother, Lindsay Witt, asked the question on TikTok: What happened to half-day kindergarten?
A shorter option, which they believe would provide a smoother transition for young children, seems to be far less common these days.
“Who decided that a full day of school for kindergarten children was a good idea?” asked Lindsay.
“Isn’t it unbelievable to everyone else out there that we are sending our five and six year olds to school full time for the first time, for six hours a day, far away from us?”
“Why does my daughter, who will barely be five years old when she starts kindergarten, have the same length of school days as a twelve-year-old?” she continued.
“I think the transition would be much better for parents, teachers and especially for the children if they started with a half day or a shortened day. Six hours seems crazy.”
Many commentators shared Lindsay’s concerns.
“Kindergarten teacher here…and I agree! School started this week and the babies are EXHAUSTED!” commented user 308308.
“I went to kindergarten in Nevada and was there from ages 8 to 12. My son is no longer that way and it’s crazy to me that this can be ‘normal,'” said Kiley Gabel.
However, many commentators disagreed. While some reported their own children’s positive experiences with full-day kindergarten, many others pointed out that kindergarten is a necessary childcare option for working parents.
“My daughter went to daycare for 10 months because everyone had to work. Then kindergarten and after-school care. It’s okay, I promise,” said AnxietyBlob.
“Because most parents cannot work 4.5 to 5 hours and then pick up their children. They also cannot afford afternoon care every day,” added mamarogers1719.
Over the past 40 years, full-day kindergarten has become the predominant choice, rising from just 28 percent in 1977 to 77 percent in 2013, according to Child Trends.
And there are plenty of benefits: The National Education Association has found that full-day programs lead to better reading and math scores, as well as improved social and emotional skills among children.
At the same time, other research has found that the benefits of full-day kindergarten may depend on factors such as class size, and that initial benefits may “wax off” to level the playing field by third grade.
However, choosing between full-day or half-day kindergarten depends largely on your options. Although public full-day kindergartens are popular, they may not be as widespread as you might expect.
Only 18 states require that children participate Kindergarten, according to the political organization Education Commission of the States. While 45 states require school districts to Offer Although the school districts do not have any form of kindergarten, only 17 of them require them to offer full-day programs.
So what’s the answer? Full day or half day?
Well, the decision is up to you and possibly your school district.
