Utah board backs full-day kindergarten

The State Board of Education on Thursday put its weight behind the governor's quest for optional, full-day kindergarten to help children at risk for academic failure — an unprecedented move for the governing body of Utah's public school system.

The board OK'd a resolution that supports expanding full-day kindergarten programs "as an additional option for families" of at-risk students. The resolution also requests money to make that happen.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s budget request includes $7 million for the concept; the resolution aims to back him.

"We want to communicate to the parents and the general public . . . of the direction we're going," board member Debra Roberts said. It's not a requirement, it's not a new policy, and there are as yet no mandates associated with it.

Utah's compulsory education law doesn't even require that children attend kindergarten, and most schools offer half-day programs.

But 15 Utah school districts, including Weber, Ogden, Salt Lake City and Box Elder, offer full-day kindergarten programs, mostly with federal Title I dollars for low-income schools, the State Office of Education has reported.

Ten states mandate full-day kindergarten, in which 60 percent of American 5- and 6-year-olds participate.

Local and national research indicates full-day kindergarten is largely a preventive measure. It helps level the playing field between students who are disadvantaged and those who are not and closes achievement gaps before they take hold — a far cheaper option, socially and financially, than trying to catch up a child later on, advocates say.

The board tinkered with supporting full-day kindergarten programs last fall but met opposition from a group led by Cache County Republican Party vice chairwoman Shelly Locke.

The group feared the board wanted to require full-day kindergarten, which they said would trample on parents' rights and the fabric of the family. The Sutherland Institute, a conservative-minded Utah public policy group that last year proposed a $500 tax credit for families keeping their kindergarten-age children at home, also opposed the state board's direction.

The board's resolution since was edited to clarify support for targeted, yet optional, full-day kindergarten programs. It is cheered by Salt Lake District associate superintendent Charles Hausman.

"Salt Lake data is consistent with national research, which clearly indicates that full-day kindergarten results in improved student outcomes in math and literacy. Full-day programs are cost effective because they reduce the need for remediation in later grades. Prevention is always less expensive than treatment."

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