Confused about 1/2 or full day kindergarden

L

lulu68

Cathlete
Ok. My 5 year old will be starting Kindergarden in the fall and I'm determine to put him in half day kindergarden. I'm a stay at home mom and have been for 15 years. My children have never been to daycare or pre-school setting. I'm a mother of 5 children, my two oldest attended half day kindergarden and when my twins started school they had switch half day to full day kindergarden and let me tell you, they cried through the whole school year and then some! My 5 year old is very enteligent, nows all the basic requirements needed for kindergarden and more. I'm just thinking how heart broken he would be knowing that he would have to spend most of his day away from home, I just dont find it necessary. I'm home and I could spend the time with him just like I did my two oldest. I remember when my twins started school, I put them in a short summer program to get them prepare for kindergarden and they absolutely loved it, but it was like half day kindergarden only 3 1/2 hours. When school started they whre very excited the first day and then they realize they whre in school all day and from there it was down the drain. It broke my heart to leave them!!! I would get a call from the offiice every day to come confort them!!! Would love to hear your opinions about 1/2 day or full day kindergarden. Thanks you!!!

Lourdes
 
I think full day's good for parents that need that option; since you don't, go for a half day. I don't think the full day option is necessarily what's best for the kids, it's what's best for the parents - which, of course, might ultimately be what's best for the kids.

Of course, I was someone that begged my mom to let me go to kindergarten, so I started halfway through the school year, when I turned 5. If I'd started the year when everyone else started, I would have only been 4. But I was ready and really wanted to go.

I think it really depends on the quality of the school. My daycare when I was 4 was hell on earth and I would beg my father and mother not to leave me there and really make a scene. I was really happy when they came back at the end of the day. I still have bad dreams about that place- another child actually squeezed a gerbil to death in front of me - no supervision from anyone.
 
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My situation is very different from yours - I just have one child, a daughter, who was in home-based daycare from 9 months to 3 years old. My husband and I both work full time. When DD turned 4 we put her in Junior Kindergarten which was a full day (it's a private school). She thrived right from the start - she made friends, she loved her teacher, learned to read very well, and she started developing some self-reliance. I think I was more worried than she was about the full-day experience. Anyway, it turned out well for us and she's now in Grade 2, and very sociable and friendly for an only child.

The full day turned out very well for us - every child is different though and you need to go with what you believe will work best for your family.

Stebby
 
I am a stay at home mom to 3 girls-10 1/2, 7 1/2, and 3 1/2 and I plan on enrolling my youngest in full day kindergarten -she will still be 4 when she starts. My main reason for doing so is that I think she'll be bored in 1/2 day. This is a child who already knows all her letters-upper and lower case, counts to almost 100, spells her name, knows her address, phone number, is starting to add, has a huge vocabulary, etc. She doesn't nap and longs for kids to play with since her sisters are in school full time. She loves preschool and based on her teacher's rec, I'll be putting her in. This will also afford me the opportunity to get a job substitute teaching so I can help pay for dance classes, vacations, etc. I see it as a win-win situation. And like Stebby said, every family is different as is every child, so I hope you can make the best decision for your needs. Good luck!
 
My son is in his second year of full day pre school (yes very odd to offer full day in pre school) and he LOVES it! I had the option of enrolling him in a half day program but my husband and I figured why not try for f/t and then we can switch if it doesn't work out. Well he loves it! It took him some time to get acclamated probably because I stayed home with him until he was 3 years old and ready to go to pre-k but once he got used to it, it was all good! The hours are 8:20 to 2:20. I was working part time through most of it but started working full time at the end of last year so I had to sign him up for the before/aftercare program at the school which makes his day even longer. He is in "school" from 7:15am to atleast 4pm every day. I felt horrible doing this to him at first but you know what? He loves the daycare too! He is an only child though so that might be part of it. Instead of staying home with mom all day he gets to play with other kids his age. His teachers rave about him at every parent-teacher conference. He is well adjusted, made friends easy and is learning a lot.

Both my son and I cried like babies the very first week of pre k. I cried because he cried but once he got used to it and realized how much fun it was and that mommy was coming back for him, it was great! The best thing we ever did for him! I cherish the time I got at home with him but think the time he is getting now is just as important.

All that being said, I agree that since you are at liberty to choose how long to send your child to school for, do what think is best for the child. I will say though that every child is different and you might want to consider giving full day kindergarten a shot! You can always switch to the half day program if it doesn't work out.
 
I am a SAHM also but didn't have the option of choosing. Our school board voted a month before school started to change from 1/2 day kinder to full-day kinder. I was devastated as were many other parents. My DD did go to one year of preschool (only 2 1/2 hrs long) so she wasn't totally unprepared for K. But most of the kids in her class were exhausted by Wed morning and it was a struggle to get them to go the last two days. So much for making school an enjoyable time the first year. I cried for weeks---but I also allow myself to get depressed every fall when school starts AND count the days until summer vacation start! ;-D

I'm sure there are many opinions on what might be best but if your child is academically where he needs to be and you want to be able to spend more time with him, I'd follow my heart. They grow up too fast and become independent way to quickly these days. JMO!

Let us know what you decided to do! :)
 
Our school district only has half day,although I know some people send their children to a private place that does full day, and then changes at first grade. My kids are 22 and 17, and were not affected by only having 1/2 day. Really a very small portion of their schooling is kindergarten, don't worry about it.
 
My oldest son was in full day and he didn't learn anything more than my older daughter who was in half day. I just missed him more and he was more stressed out and tired by the middle of the week. It sounds like you already know what you want to do though... :cool:

Melissa
 
I vote for school all year long.

Seriously I think you should do what you feel most comfortable in. One thing from my experience though when my son was 2 and started pre school I thought he would not be able to make it through the 4 hours of the program. He is autistic. You'd be surprised they are able to do more than we give them credit for and I think that it is harder on us than it is on them. If your child has friends that he/she can play with at a good kindergarden then I say go for the full day. Honestly your kids will be spending a lot of time with you come summer. I say let them be kids with other kids,. . . .learn from other kids because they do, . . . .sometimes things we don't always WANT them to learn but even that in and of itself is a learning experience. Good luck.

By the way I was serious about the year long school thing. :)
 
I find your post to be strangely worded, quite honestly. Somewhat over-dramatic, over-emotional on the issue of education.

Really, the decision about whether to go for half or full day depends completely upon the child and his or her readiness for more: more people in their life, more instruction, more variety of place, people and activity. My children were both ready and loved full day kindergarten, thrived on it. Both they and I would have been less happy with half day because my kids needed more stimulation and I needed to work for my own sanity and family income.

In the UK, where I am from, half day kindergarten does not exist. School starts for a full day from age 4 onwards and every British child goes to school. I expect it is the same in many European countries. For sure, some kids will cry and miss home, or rather miss their comfort zone, for a few days, but growing up, education, and becoming an adult person require stepping out of the comfort zone and away from the family and home. Whole generations of British kids have not been traumatized by starting school aged 4 and for a whole day. It's just fine! All kids adapt when given the chance.

Our job as parents is to prepare our kids to leave us as soon as they are born: all female mammals do this. Maybe your kids need a little longer at home, or is it you who needs them to need it?

Sorry if this is not a popular post. It is an honest one.

If your child truly needs half day kindergarten, then go with that. But make sure it is for the right reasons: that s/he needs it and not you.

Clare
 
"All kids adapt when given the chance."

I think this is key. I used to work in the babysitting/daycare area of a gym and what I found was so many moms who would cave the minute their child gave any hint that they did not want to be left there. Those moms never got to work out b/c the child knew they could get away with it so they did it all the time. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, be the strong one and let them cry. It's not going to hurt them. Me and my coworkers had some pretty tough "nuts to crack" so to speak while I worked there between kids who cried the entire time (some even threw full on tantrums) to moms who were afraid to "let go". When given the chance, both child and mom were able to adapt/change and everyone ended being perfectly fine...even if it seemed hopeless in the beginning! I know it's hard to see/know your child is crying for you. I dealt with it at the beginning of my son's pre-k career like I said in my previous post, but most of the time it DOES get better!:)
 
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I'm struggling with this decision too. We currently live in France and my kids (who are 5 and almost 4 in June) are in school full time. In France, this means they go 4 days a week (no school on Wed for whatever reason), 9-5. Lunch is from 12-2 and I can pick them up or buy them lunch tickets for them to eat there and be entertained by school staff.

We are here for another year and then move back to the states. My younger one will be K age when we move back. By that time, she will have spent 2.5 years in "full time" school before K. The district where we will live has both full and half day but their website says full day is for "selected students" so I'm not sure what that means. It makes me think I will probably not have a choice in the matter. I'd like her to be able to go full day because I think she would rather come and go with her big sister (who is going to be in 1st grade). I also think she'd get lonesome without her. BUT, this is my homebody child. Everyday she tells me that she doesn't want to go to school, she'd rather stay home. She doesn't cry or anything and is always happy as a clam when I pick her up. She just loves to play at home, be with me, and be in that comfort zone. She'll probably be that way until she's 30.

My thought on the matter is that if your district/school gives you a choice, choose the one that best suits you. If your only option is full day and you don't want it, maybe consider homeschooling for kinder or finding a private school with a half day program. There are so many options. Don't let the school system dictate what is right/wrong for your family. HTH!!

angie
 
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