Full Day Kindergarten Expanding

[Justine Cooper]

I see that the full day kindergarten is expanding to Horace Mann and Emerson, in addition to Hayes and Harrison. This is an excellent and well thought out program, also done in many other states, that is a wonderful thing Lakewood is doing. I could not be happier with the program and my son is learning to read and write at five, something I don't remember doing myself!

The teachers at Hayes kindergarten, all three, go above and beyond and are well worth their salaries to our children. Even though I won't have any more children (whew) to go through this program, I will also advocate for it and think it is beneficial to many children. Thank you to the school board for doing this.

[marklingm]

Thank you to the school board for doing this.

You are more than welcome! And thank you to all the teachers, administrators, and parents who made the initial pilot program a success.

Observers can obtain information on the expanded program by clicking here.

While this happened to be one of my campaign promises (click here and/or here), every board member was in full support of expanding the all-day kindergarten pilot program.

Matt

[Tim Liston]

Most children do not learn to "read" in Kindergarten. They learn to decode words into sounds and say the sounds. Cuh - a - tuh (cat). Real reading comes a bit later, when words are committed to memory. Parents push teachers to teach "reading" too early. I'm sure someday parents will expect their first-graders to be factoring quadratic equations. Preschoolers and kindergarteners should be learning social and practical skills, beauty and morality, how to care for their physical well-being and be active and the like. You know, as in "all I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten." The problem is, most don't.

Sorry. I just had to get that out. I have serious misgivings with "traditional" education and it has nothing to do with public or private. It has to do with what is taught ("subject matter") and how it is taught ("memorization and testing"). I'm ambivalent about full-day kindergarten. My children went full-day three days a week plus two half-days at (here's my disclaimer) a Montessori school. That was plenty.

[Justine Cooper]

Tim,
While I am laughing at the splitting of hairs of "reading" and "decoding" and actually do know the difference since I had to endure a phonics class last semester, I don't disagree with you that kids have to learn a lot early in life and have a lot of pressure. I am more bothered by the pressure for my daughter in first grade as it is much stricter and tougher than kindergarten.

My kindergarten child though, is learning through fun ways, something that starts to get lost as early as first grade now. He loves school and loves going and it has has a really nice impact on him, both academically at this very basic level, and socially. He is a hyper and strong willed child and is not perfectly behaved, but he is learning to control his impulses better in full day kindergarten and realize social norms. We can teach and talk and time out all day at home, but being in a class and learning social norms is very different. I respect those who don't feel the need for the full day kindergarten, but also respect that it is offered for the children who benefit from it. And they really do an excellent job of it at Hayes, incorporating gym and music and art.

But what if I may ask, is the difference between three full days and two half days and full time, other than two half days? That is not much difference!

[Justine Cooper]

Most children do not learn to "read" in Kindergarten. They learn to decode words into sounds and say the sounds. Cuh - a - tuh (cat). Real reading comes a bit later, when words are committed to memory. Parents push teachers to teach "reading" too early.

If you want to get really technical, you are referring to phonemic awareness, which also happens to be the number one indicator in reading failure later on. Now they can do simple testing to see where they are at this, and not only detect when they are below level, but give them extra help to get them where they need to be. This overall decreases learning disabilities, as this is not innate but environmental, and decrease costs in the long run for special education costs.

As for parents pushing for teachers to teach their children to read, I have never heard of one. What I have heard of is the NCLB legislation and state standards that dictate what children have to be doing on all levels or they lose funding for the schools, which is why it is imperative to start early.

[Stephen Eisel]

I see that the full day kindergarten is expanding to Horace Mann and Emerson, in addition to Hayes and Harrison. This is an excellent and well thought out program, also done in many other states, that is a wonderful thing Lakewood is doing. I could not be happier with the program and my son is learning to read and write at five, something I don't remember doing myself!

The teachers at Hayes kindergarten, all three, go above and beyond and are well worth their salaries to our children. Even though I won't have any more children (whew) to go through this program, I will also advocate for it and think it is beneficial to many children. Thank you to the school board for doing this.

That is great news!!!!!!

[Jay Foran]

The Lakewood community deserves kudos as well. Lakewood citizens overwhelmingly supported both Phase I and II of the new school building program in 2004 and 2007. The new facilities (and those coming online next year) have directly contributed to our community's capability to deliver these much-needed (yet optional) services. We are just beginning to see some of the many benefits the building program will produce.

Pre-K and Kindegarten programming was a key focus of the 50 Year Committee assembled in 2003-04. Lakewood citizens Kirsten Senger and Colleen Clark-Sutton deserve special call-out for their leadership during that time by studying options to address early childhood development.

[Justine Cooper]

Jay,

Thanks for pointing that/them out. They should be applauded because not only are the new schools top of th line, the teaching programs there are too, starting with Lakewood's preschool program, formerly Project One Two Three. With the high ELL population in Lakewood, the combination of the pre-school here, offered to all children regardless of income, and the full day, which I would think all ELL children need, I can't wait to see the numbers on learning disabilities start to decrease in certain areas. The Special Ed. classes that I observed at Hayes were beyond impressive too.

Lakewood is exemplifying a preventative approach in regards to reading and learning disabilities, as opposed to "reactive" which is not only more costly, but doesn't have the same success. Over two decades of solid research by a variety of professionals resulted in a new assessment that is not costly or timel to administer, Dibels, and, as a result of the findings of their research:

Reading problems can be prevented in most children.
Reading problems can be detected in kindergarten and early first grade.
Children with problems do not spontaneously get over them; they need to be taught how to read!

We are not talking specific learning disabilities, we are talking about reading failure that research has shown is an environmental (meaning home and lack of effective teaching) problem that can be assessed and rectified as early as Kindergarten, versus being discovered later during standardized testing at the end of a year. Being able to put kids into groups and give them something extra as early as Kindergarten or first grade is amazing. And, even if you don't believe on a spiritual level that we are all connected and should be teaching all children as we would want our own taught, on an economic level, our child's school could lose funding if scores aren't there.

Overall the community support for the new schools and the school board and others' progressive and preventative methods to give our children the best shows, at least at the most basic elementary levels.

[marklingm]

The Lakewood community deserves kudos as well. Lakewood citizens overwhelmingly supported both Phase I and II of the new school building program in 2004 and 2007. The new facilities (and those coming online next year) have directly contributed to our community's capability to deliver these much-needed (yet optional) services. We are just beginning to see some of the many benefits the building program will produce.

Pre-K and Kindegarten programming was a key focus of the 50 Year Committee assembled in 2003-04. Lakewood citizens Kirsten Senger and Colleen Clark-Sutton deserve special call-out for their leadership during that time by studying options to address early childhood development.

So true! And thanks to you, Jay, for being an excellent ambassador for Lakewood and the Lakewood City Schools.

Matt

[Colleen Sullivan]

Are the children at the three schools without all day K being put at a disadvantage?

[marklingm]

Are the children at the three schools without all day K being put at a disadvantage?

Colleen,

It is my understanding that Grant, Lincoln, and Roosevelt parents are able to open enroll in an all day program at Harrison, Hayes, Emerson (Taft School area), or Horace Mann (McKinley School area). If you call 529-4203, the Administration can provide more information. I hope this helps.

Matt

[Justine Cooper]

Matt,
While we have you on the board, do you know if Lakewood schools implement Responsiveness to Intervention in their schools as part of the Pre-referreal process for Special Ed? Just curious! Thanks!

[marklingm]

Matt,
While we have you on the board, do you know if Lakewood schools implement Responsiveness to Intervention in their schools as part of the Pre-referreal process for Special Ed? Just curious! Thanks!

Justine,

As I sit here this Sunday morning, I do not know for sure. For those Observers who may not know about Responsiveness to Intervention, these are some of the tools/models that may enable educators to target instructional interventions to a child's area of specific need as soon as those needs become apparent.

The answer to your quesion is one that Dr. Kate Foley, Director of Student Services, should know in detail. Dr. Foley's contact information can be viewed by clicking here.

Matt

[Colleen Sullivan]

I understand that there is open enrollment; however what if a person does not want to switch their older children to a different school just so the K can be there all day? I read in the paper that Roosevelt had the space for it, but the space was not ideal so they decided against having it. Learning in a big open space like the Grant School set up is also not ideal but I don't see anyone doing anything to help them build walls. I'd be interested to see what the test scores for the two groups are next year and see if all day kids score better!