"I think that with all the expectations schools have, it seems like we have to do it [have full-day kindergarten] to meet the curriculum," she said.
Andress said that if district decides to implement the program, a new committee will be formed to discuss how to proceed.
"Right now we're in the exploratory/advisory phase," said Andress. "The next group I would put together " the 'practitioners' I call them " would look at how we would structure assessments, curriculum and staffing needs. It would be a lot of nuts and bolts work."
Although there has been some discussion of a statewide mandate requiring full-day kindergarten, as of now, the state has not earmarked government funding for full-day programs, so only basic aid would be available.
If the full-day program takes effect in Guilderland, it would likely be implemented in the 2009-2010 school year.
Regardless of whether or not the full-day program comes to fruition, Andress stressed the importance of early childhood education.
"The one thing that's important to me is that we have a rich childhood development program with great teachers," she said.""
Prev Next
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID