Measure promotes full-day kindergarten

Friday, February 25, 2005

By KELLY KEARSLEY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers touted the benefits of full-day kindergarten yesterday, while acknowledging that the cash-strapped state budget lacks the money to provide it.

Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, has sponsored a bill that would give school districts the option of offering full-day kindergarten paid for by the state.

The state now pays for 180 half-days of kindergarten.

About 60 school districts around the state already offer full-day kindergarten, because they've found ways to pay for it themselves.

Seattle Public Schools spokesman Peter Daniels said the district provides at least one class of full-day kindergarten at every elementary school. The state pays for a half-day and the district funds the other half-day.

Some schools use money from their budgets to provide additional kindergarten classes, while others charge a fee for those.

"We feel that there is value in having a full-day kindergarten, because it certainly helps young learners start on the right path," Daniels said.

Full-day kindergarten gets children ready to read at an earlier age, prepares them for the first grade and can lead to more success in later schooling, bill supporters told a House Education Committee hearing.

Sending children to school all day also can save families money on child care and transportation.

"The goal is for kids to have the time to ask questions, be curious about their world and listen to stories," said Tita Mallory, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the Aberdeen School District.

The Aberdeen district uses money from an initiative that passed in 2000 for its full-day kindergarten. Initiative 728 provides additional money for reducing class sizes and extending learning opportunities.

The kindergarten costs the Aberdeen district about $500,000 per year, Mallory said.

The state's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and several education-related organizations support the bill. But the office estimates that offering full-day kindergarten could cost the state as much as $313 million per biennium.

With the state facing a budget shortfall of $2.2 billion, Haigh acknowledged that it's unlikely her bill will pass. She said it's important to start the conversation.

"The chances of this getting through Appropriations would be a monumental mountain for someone to climb," agreed Rep. Dave Quall, D-Mount Vernon, committee chairman. "But it's important to put this on the table."

P-I reporter Deborah Bach contributed to this report.

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