Living in LoCo
Loudoun Lacks Full-Day Kindergarten Programs
Erica Garman at 4:54 p.m., June 4, 2008 (9 comments)
Susi Ricker, of Waterford, is on the fence about sending her 5-year-old to full-day kindergarten next year. Naturally, she wants the best academic advantage for her child that a full-day program can offer, but that means she'll have to move her daughter to a different school than the one her children are slated to attend. Lovettsville Elementary, where Ricker's second-grader goes to school, only offers half-day kindergarten.
Loudoun County Public Schools will be offering full-day kindergarten at three schools in the western part of the county this fall—Aldie, Hillsboro and Lincoln Elementary. Because these schools are under-enrolled, a few full-day kindergarten slots will be made available to families who live outside the schools' boundaries.
The LCPS Web site states that to be considered for these full-day programs, the rising kindergartner must be registered at the school that serves his or her home address before Monday.
At 5 p.m. Friday, the number of open kindergarten spots at these three schools will be posted on the LCPS Web site. Registration will then start Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the Education Building in Ashburn on a first-come, first-serve, lottery-type basis.
[Commentary: Really? Isn't there a better way to do this? It'll be interesting to see if desperate parents camp out at school headquarters to get a slot. This is Loudoun we're talking about.]
If your child already lives within the boundaries of Aldie, Hillsboro or Lincoln Elementary, breathe easy, you do not need to go through this process.
For many years Loudoun parents have been complaining about the lack of full-day kindergarten in our schools. Research shows that kids in full-day programs academically outperform children who spend less time in the classroom. Proponents of full-day kindergarten say it's needed to keep up with the demands of the No Child Left Behind testing. Plus, it helps out working parents who typically have to pay outrageous daycare costs for the other half of the day.
Some find it equally frustrating to learn that Alexandria, Arlington, Fauquier, the District, Prince William County and all of Maryland have full-day kindergarten in their public schools. Fairfax is slated to offer it in all public schools by 2010.
It's not an inexpensive proposition, no doubt. In Loudoun, classrooms are scarce and more teachers would need to be hired. And, don't forget, it was just a few months ago when administrators were doing their best to trim the FY09 school budget.
Currently, LCPS has nine full-day kindergarten classes at eight county sites. Do you think this program should be offered at all elementary schools?
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I see a full kindergarten program as something that needs to be put on the shelf. Let's settle other existing programs before moving to something as major as this. I would not like to see expectations set that we are moving in such a direction, until after we get a handle on the vicissitudes associated with current funding requirements. To include fuel costs.
Posted by maravetz (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 10:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You save on fuel by not taking half-day kindergarten students home at 10:50 a.m. and picking up a second set.
Posted by backinloco (anonymous) on June 5, 2008 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a life long resident of Loudoun, I am extremely disappointed that they still dont have all day kindergarten at ALL the schools and not just a small hand full out in the far western schools. Kindergarten is only 3 hours long, the preschool program is 4 hours long. WHY??? Not to mention the gas issue now adays. They don't have time to teach the kids the things that they need to know in order to do well in 1st grade. And its worse for kids that need special therapy such as speech, which can be 30 mins. twice a week in our case. Then there is the adjustment to the much longer days when they hit first grade.
Not all of us can afford to send our kids to the expensive daycares in this area, where the kids learn to read and write before they reach kindergarten.
Posted by tkamjj (anonymous) on June 5, 2008 at 1:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Once Loudoun's population stops growing (or growing so fast) then the money now used to build new schools can be diverted to hiring the new teachers needed for all-day kindergarten. Patience people.
Posted by foobar2 (anonymous) on June 6, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We are forcing our children to grow up to fast. I too am a life long Loudoun Native and when I was a child no one went to preschool then several years later parents were told that they needed to send their children to preschool otherwise they were sacrificing their future. Now the thought is that 2 years of preschool is necessary. When will it stop - when our children are parents and education starts as soon as the child is born.
Half day kindergarten is fine - 5 years old is too young to expect children to be able to sit and learn for a full day.
As for saving money on fuel - any savings will be spent paying for the extra teachers and classrooms.
Let children be children - there is more to life than just education - how about happiness, a little fun and not growing up so fast!
Posted by relay4lifemom (anonymous) on June 6, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sorry but the idea of full-time kindergarten entitlement is a little beyond the line. This county is already ripping it's taxpayers to fund this extravagant school system. I'm all for a 1-12 "core" education program where the taxpayers fund the reading, writing, civics and math/science programs. Let’s throw in phys. education to trim down these kids and basic finance so that they are healthier and have a sense of what to do with their money when they start in the workforce. Beyond that, it should be the individual parents responsibility to pay for any other service and esoteric course requirements (mandarin Chinese for example) that they feel would benefit their children and this would include all day kindergarten. Spend more of your own time teaching your children the stuff they would learn in kindergarten. They will certainly cherish the memory of your involvement for many years to come.
Posted by Handyguy (anonymous) on June 6, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Full day kindergarten would be convenient and beneficial for some, but don't forget that education begins at home. It is a parent's responsibility to enhance and encourage their child's public school education. If you work with your child to instill a love of learning they'll do better in school. Don't leave everything to the school system.
Posted by yaddayadda (anonymous) on June 9, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"when I was a child no one went to preschool"
Was that in a one-room schoolhouse? When I was a child I went to preschool.
Posted by backinloco (anonymous) on June 10, 2008 at 10:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I totally am FOR full-day Kindergarten Programs! With both parents working, we end up sending kids to either full-day kindergarten programs, or spend almost as much $$ in a pre-school with aftercare. The after-care programs are usually nothing more than TV-time or art time...and the kids end up spending much longer hours outside of home.
With such great schools in the county, a few more hours will be well worth the time and effort!!
Posted by GND (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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