New Option for Kindergartners

January 13, 2010

A new tuition-based program in the public school district will provide children some of the benefits of a full-day kindergarten without the need to seek often-elusive voter approval, school officials said.

The new Kindergarten Enrichment Program, open to students enrolled in the district’s half-day kindergarten, will provide transportation to and from the students’ kindergarten class and lessons geared to complement the kindergarten curriculum, all for a $350 monthly fee to parents — about half of w hat a similar private program would cost, school officials said.

"Many parents work, and they need to have their children supervised for an entire day while they’re working," said Harry Alexandrowicz, director of the district’s Community School, which is organizing the program. "If their children are in school, they know they’re safe, they’re actively engaged in something positive and they’re actually learning something."

Research shows that full-day kindergarten programs provide measurable benefits to children, who are expected to learn to read and write earlier than ever before. Districts generally put their funding requests in special ballot measures that require 60 percent of voters to approve.

When Saddle Brook floated the proposal on its ballot two years ago, the price tag was $385,000. The vote was close, 758 yes to 866 no.

Statistics show that full-day programs are gaining in popularity in spite of the expense. Almost 75 percent of the school districts in Bergen and Passaic counties have managed to introduce programs.

In towns that don’t offer full-day kindergarten, enrollments can jump considerably between kindergarten and first grade — the median was almost 17 percent in the 2008-09 school year.

Those figures indicate that parents have gone outside school districts for full-day alternatives.

Programs like Saddle Brook’s attempt to combine the benefits of a private program with those of a public school.

Children will participate in playtime, crafts and organized games that coincide with their school-day lessons, with the supervision of a certified teacher and an experienced caregiver in the district’s after-school program.

While the program is not as structured as it might be if it were pa rt of the school district curriculum, it is designed to reinforce lessons the children are learning about how to make friends, share things and understand the role of a teacher, Alexandrowicz said.

Private programs might offer similar lessons, but the Community School’s costs are much lower, because it can use the school district’s classrooms, buses and insurance. Alexandrowicz pointed out that the tuition breaks down to about $5 an hour.

Only about five families have signed up for the program so far. If more don’t enroll by Jan. 15, the district will postpone the Jan. 25 start date until next fall.

Alexandrowicz said the enrollment numbers are deceptive. Because the program is starting in the middle of the school year, most parents have already made alternative arrangements for their children, he said.

"It doesn’t have to be a public school that does this," Alexandrowicz said. "But it’s important for us, because we feel strongly that Saddle Brook children should have the opportunity."