LPOSD ponders all-day kindergarten

SANDPOINT — School district officials hope that by helping kids start learning earlier, the entire district will benefit for years to come.

According to Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Shawn Woodward, school administrators are gauging interest in the possibility of an all-day kindergarten program. Since Idaho only funds the district for half-day kindergarten, the planned program will likely carry tuition costs, but scholarships will also be available on the basis of need.

“If we can secure enough commitments to cover the costs of the program, we’re going forward with this,” Woodward said.

School administrators plan to gauge community interest next month when parents register their kids for the coming school year. . The registration process, set for May 6-10, will be accompanied by a brief questionnaire asking if parents are interested in all-day kindergarten.

While the district currently offers half-day kindergarten, Woodward said that the number of parents who utilize it is dramatically smaller compared to those who register their kids for first grade. According to Woodward, that’s probably due in part to first grade being required and kindergarten being optional. However, the fact that the kindergarten programs are only half-days probably plays a role as well, because it adds an additional layer of inconvenience for parents.

Woodward hopes to solve this with the introduction of full-day kindergarten this fall. Under the current proposal, the program would cost parents $2,300 for the entire school year, with payments split into $230 installments over 10 months. Scholarships would also be available to families based on financial need and will range from full tuition deferments to partial financial assistance. Under that system, Woodward said, the program would be available to all families regardless of financial circumstances.

According to Woodward, school officials have been examining the state of Washington’s efforts to establish full-day kindergarten while planning their own program. Washington officials currently plan to roll out the service to the poorer districts first and add more districts in subsequent school years.

The idea of increasing early educational opportunity has become a topic of interest in not just Washington but also across the country, with even President Barack Obama addressing it in his State of the Union speech. Proponents argue that early education pays dividends later on in a student’s scholastic career, promoting increased attendance, academic achievement, organizational skills and social development.

“There’s a ton of research that demonstrates the value of early childhood education,” Woodward said. “It’s a big help in developing early literacy, which is important because students who aren’t reading by fourth grade are typically students who struggle through their entire academic career.”