FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN Q AND A
(Questions, sorted by categories, are a compilation of some that administrators have heard and others
that were identified by the Full Day K Working Group members as community concerns. Responses
reflect the views of the educators who developed the initial proposal.)
1. Timeline

When will the decision be final for 2015/2016 school year?

What is the projected timeline? Will full day be in place next year? (Parents need to enroll in other
programs in Jan./Feb.)

When will we know if full day kindergarten will be fee or free?

Will we be backing up (starting the process earlier) the kindergarten registration?
We are planning for a full day program for September 2015, and we do understand parents’ need to know
about the details of that plan as soon as possible. However, most parents do also understand that a
decision of this magnitude has a budget component, the timeline for which is fixed. While the budget
process has begun, the important budget hearings and deliberations involving School Committee, Board
of Selectmen, and Advisory Committee will take place in January and February. Ultimately Town Meeting
(end of April) takes the final votes on all of the Town Budgets, but certainly we will have a better sense of
what the three Boards are recommending by the end of February. It is likely that we will begin the annual
K enrollment process in late February, a month earlier than usual, even though decisions such as what a
possible fee structure might be may not be final at that point.
2. Funding

Who will pay for full day kindergarten? If it is the Town, how can it be incorporated into the operating
budget without making other sacrifices? If fee-based, why would a fee be charged for kindergarten and
not the other grades? Will parents have to pay a fee? What will tuition be?

Will an override be needed or will taxes be raised?

How much would it cost the Town (in total per year) for a “free for all” full day program?

If Hingham cannot offer free full day to all, is that a deal breaker for a paid program?

If a full day fee-based program is instituted, how would the enrollment work – lottery based or standard
registration based? How would a sliding scale work?

If tuition is charged, will the middle income level families elect not to send their children?

What options are there for families who cannot afford full day kindergarten?

If full day is offered at a cost, would that cost be equal to the current KIA fees?
We are in the process of developing a Funding Plan that will become part of a separate new initiative
budget proposal. It should be no surprise to hear that the School Department’s perspective is that the
funding of a public kindergarten program is no less a Town/School responsibility than the funding of any
other grade level. However, we also understand that there are always other Town and School priorities to
be considered as part of the annual budget process. Therefore we are exploring additional possible
funding sources for the full-day kindergarten proposal that can mitigate the financial impact on the FY 16
Operating Budget that a new initiative of this scope would represent. These include the possibility of state
grant dollars, additional Chapter 70 (Foundation Budget allocations), and of parent paid tuitions/fees.
School Committee consensus around the concept of a “full-day for all” program may have been
misinterpreted by some as guaranteeing a “free for all” program. It is true that Town funding of the entire
program would ensure that we could offer a single full day kindergarten program to all students in the
same way that we fund grades 1-12; however, we must explore all other options for supporting our
initiative, at least in the first year. We are weighing the pros and cons of applying for a state grant (that
comes with conditions), we are motivated to take advantage of an increased Foundation Budget allocation
(that grows in direct proportion to the number of tuition-free students who move from .5 to 1.0 FTEs); we
are using data from other comparable towns to create possible income-based sliding scale tuition/fee
scenarios (that will not be a deterrent to enrollment for middle income families). In round dollars, we are
1
currently projecting that the gross cost of the initiative is $844K (assuming 300 students and 15
sections/classes). Finding a workable balance among several funding resources, at least in the first year,
will allow all children access to the high quality early education that they need and deserve. Other figures
of note are that (1) typically developing children in our Integrated K program pay a fee of $3155 for the
second half day; (2) children in the “wraparound” K part of the KIA program pay a fee of $4350.
3. Transportation/Lunch

How will transportation work for kindergarten students? Will there be enough room on buses?

Will our kindergarten children eat lunch with upper elementary students in the cafeteria?
We do believe that the additional students at both the beginning and end of the school day can be
accommodated with existing buses. Of course, the prospect of eliminating midday busing would result in
a financial savings to the district as well. Because of the increasing size of the MS population, we are
recommending in the FY 16 (2015-2016 school year) the addition of a 21st “big bus” as part of our bus
lease bid process for next year. As with the other grades, kindergarten children may bring their own
lunches or purchase lunch each day through the HPS Food Services program. Each of the four principals
has developed a plan for whether there will be a separate lunch period for K or how some other
combination of grades could work. In the end, that decision depends upon factors such as the size of the
K enrollment, the size of the cafeteria space, the number of existing lunch blocks, and the school dismissal
time.
4. Class Size / Logistics/Staffing

How large will the classes be? Will there be assistants/paras in each class?

Will the class sizes drastically increase due to the limitations of space in the schools?

Will the full day class stay in the same classroom all day?

How will full day kindergarten change staffing needs?
Of course we don’t know yet exactly how many K students will enroll (in total or in each building); at this
time we are projecting 300 or fewer students in 15 sections, with two adults (the teacher and a full time
paraeducator) in each classroom. We are fortunate to have 16 purpose-designed K classrooms, four in
each building. Children will be in the same room all day, unlike the current situation with a KIA switch at
mid-day for many children. Of course, kindergarten children would travel for specialist lessons in the gym,
art or music room, library, etc. as they now do. In that regard, the plan is to add additional specialist
teacher FTEs so that each building will have a full-time art, music, PE, Spanish, technology/computer, and
library/media teacher.
5. Curriculum/Schedule

What will the additional half-day curriculum look like?

Would the curriculum for a full day be more robust with additional/enhanced core goals added or would
the same current core curriculum be used with more time throughout the day to teach?

Will there be an opportunity for more time to spend on practice with skills like letter formation and
proper pencil grip?

Is there a “sample day” snapshot that can be shared with the public?

What will the daily structure look like? (Will there be more academic time?)

Re schedule: full day – do not put all academics in AM – need down time – gross and fine motor time –
delivery of special education services. How can we avoid making a full day too academic and
subsequently asking for academic skills before some children are ready?
It is important to know that a full day for kindergarteners will not result in the doubling of formal academic
instructional time. Currently HPS kindergarten classes already are following the Massachusetts
standards, most recently updated in 2011. As a result of the time spent on those important goals, many of
the activities that formerly were part of a typical kindergarten program have suffered. These include time
to revisit topics, to practice and apply skills and concepts, and to enhance learning across the day in a
theme-based context and with specialist-taught lessons in PE, art, music, computer, Spanish and library.
Also needing more attention is time for the development of social and behavioral skills, collaborative
2
learning, and developmental play. There are a number of different ways to organize the day to fit all of
this in and we will make some samples available to parents; but certainly young children also need time to
unwind, relax, and play independently and with others in a less hurried environment than now exists.
6. Options

If a full day for all (free) program is instituted, will there be any opportunity for a half day program for
those that choose other than simply pulling a child out of the full day program part way through the
day? Will there still be a “free” half day kindergarten program? If so, what will it look like?

If fee based, will we consolidate half day to two schools? Would class size be larger because some
children would leave early? Would children miss any academic/core subjects?

What if the longer day is too long for my child?
The administration will propose a full day program as the preferred model for all kindergarten students.
Depending upon the funding plan that is adopted by the School Committee and the uniqueness of some
family situations, there may be the need for some modification of that plan. However, it is not our intent to
offer a choice between a partial day program and a full day one. Rather, we will attempt to meet the
needs of what we hope will be a small number of students needing a shorter day by using a hybrid or
imbedded model. To utilize our space, staffing and transportation resources most effectively and
efficiently and to ensure the most favorable class sizes, a modified full day program (if necessary) is
preferable to trying to run two separate programs.
7. Integrated Kindergarten

Would children with special needs be dispersed across the grade level or will there still be dedicated
integrated classrooms as exist now?

What will happen to the Integrated Kindergarten model as it now exists? – Will parents of typically
developing children be able to choose if their child will be placed with children with special needs? Will
all kindergarten classes include more involved special education students?
There are several possibilities for what will replace the current Integrated K model; as in the past, the
number and needs of the youngsters (as per their IEPs) will be the central factor in what the final design
will be. This could range from a model like what we have now (a couple of Integrated classes across the
district), to one integrated class in each building, to all classes being integrated ones. Because we are
hoping to offer full day K for all, there would be no need for a lottery. If the funding model includes a feebased component, that would need to be on a sliding scale (of course excluding children with special
needs to the extent they are excluded from fees now) based upon income levels. No final decisions have
been made, except for the commitment to meeting the needs of the children and more information about
the profiles and needs of the affected children will evolve over the next couple of months. In the end, the
district does make final classroom assignments for all children. Perhaps the best way to describe any
proposed K model is to say that a “full day K for all” program would not function much differently from the
way the other elementary grades operate with respect to special education. Some children need more
services than others and those services are delivered in a variety of ways, mostly within the regular
classroom structure with their typically developing peers; but sometimes outside the classroom as now is
the case in the existing Integrated K model.
8. Kids in Action (KIA) and Child Care
 If KIA is eliminated (other than pre and post school hours), how much, if any, revenue would be lost for
the Town?
 How would FD K change the KIA program?
 If there is a choice of full or half day, will KIA still be offered to half day students?
 Isn’t full day kindergarten really a child care service for parents who work full time?
The KIA Program is self-supporting and funded by parent fees which are deposited into a separate
revolving account. There is no school budget contribution to KIA, other than allowing the use of school
building space. Under a “full day for all” program there would be no need for the current “wrap-around”
program during the school day. There would be a loss of that revenue stream to the program, but not to
3
the Town; but also there would be a reduction in the staffing necessary for that part of the program. The
before and afterschool parts of the program and the KIA preschool program would continue at all grades
and could in fact be expanded if there is interest and available space. Because we would be hiring
additional teachers and paraeducators for the full day K program, there is opportunity for KIA staff to be
considered for some of those roles. It is unlikely that a KIA wraparound program would be logistically or
financially practical for the anticipated small number of part day students. The proposal for a full day
kindergarten program has been motivated by educators who believe that this is the right model for children
at this time and supported by a consensus of the School Committee. Hingham already offers a high
quality day care option and more than half of HPS kindergarten students take advantage of that fine
program. So the availability of child care is not the issue. Educating young children in a developmentally
appropriate way and providing access to high quality early learning opportunities for all children are
responsibilities that we share as adults and the “FD K for all” proposal is an expression of that belief.
9. Other Concerns

Will a longer day create more stress for children because of “more academics”?

Love half day – need time for social activities.

Will full-day kindergarten become the new first grade where children won’t have enough time in
creative play or in using their imagination or learning social skills; will they be spending too much time
at a desk?

An overwhelming feeling is that any full day kindergarten should include social skills development
through play and center work – opportunity for fine motor skill development – many do not want an all
day academic program.
We understand that a number of concerns have been expressed about extending the school day. Some
are related to the perception that there will be the increased stress of more academics at too early an age.
In fact, the MA academic standards for kindergarten have been in place since 2011. They are being
addressed every day in our part day classrooms; so we are trying to de-stress the K day by allowing more
time (and fewer transitions) for age-appropriate teaching and learning of academics and for increasing
opportunities for social/emotional growth, creative play, and fine and large motor skills development. And
speaking of imagination, the notion of children sitting at desks in kindergarten is a vision beyond our
wildest imagination! The fact is that more than half our current students already participate in KIA, some
for a length of time even beyond the typical school day. As well, 64% of HPS kindergarten students have
participated in two or more years of a preschool experience (exclusive of a home day care option); in
some case those programs are much longer than our current 2 hour and thirty-five minute partial day
program. In a fall survey there were only 7 children of 246 who had no prior school experience before
kindergarten.
4