All Day Kindergarten in Bolton?

Bolton Public School Board proposes All-day Kindergarten. The proposal is welcomed by Kindergarten teachers, school board members, and the Governor. All-day Kindergarten is part of the Superintendent’s proposed Bolton budget for next year.

“For the academic point of view, based on what we are expecting the students to know course-wise at the end of the year, this is why most towns do want all-day kindergarten for their public schools,” said Bolton Superintendent for the Board of Education Paul K. Smith.

The idea is to prepare the kids early because the Governor has said that if the students cannot read at a 3^rd grade level then they will not pass third grade, according to Smith.

“It is crucial to the youth’s development. Kindergarten needs to serve as a strong foundation, not just academically, but socially and physically. They have common course standards they need to meet to create a strong social and emotional piece in their school learning and growing experience to be done in a safe environment,” said Claudia Danna, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Bolton Public Schools.

She went on to say that this is the time we teach children to work well with others, become friends, and work together to problem solve. “It is important to catch them where they are and if there are deficits to address them.”

This is also the time kids are introduced to the Fine Arts in school. They sing, dance, and learn theater, which they agreed is important to the children’s social growth and physical coordination.

“Many small towns think kids are not ready for all-day kindergarten, but it is then that they get the opportunity to mature. The kids acquire retention and learning in a full day,” said Smith.

Smith and Danna also discussed that likely many of the children end up in day care, which is not a better option.

“Here they get more opportunities to learn and grow. They can practice more what they have learning in a higher order of thinking to apply it,” said Danna.

The intention is not to gear the students up for exams, but instead to give them a full day to grow physically, socially, and mentally.

“We are not a day care program. The intent is not to ease working parents, but to better prepare the children. At that age, they are ready to experiment and be creative in an environment that has the facilities and staffing to help them experiment everything they should at this level,” said Smith.

The proposal would have equal impact on the Kindergarten teachers of Bolton. When asked how she felt about it Arin Rumovicz said, “We need it. We have to squish so much into so little time. We will be working, and then all of a sudden it is time to clean up. This would give me the chance to do some extension activities, review, enrich, and support those who need more support. Some of the kids went to all-day Preschool. This is like a step back. I like the idea of all-day Kindergarten. It is time for it.”