Moms Talk: Weighing the Idea of Half Day Kindergarten

As Three Village administrators and school board trustees trudge through the process of creating next year's school budget, one option they have gingerly discussed is transforming the district's full-day kindergarten program into a half-day program.

Although they have emphasized that it a last-resort type of cut that would only have to be made in a contingency situation, some in the district have said that change could save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars as it faces what is now a $7 million budget gap as of the March 15 meeting. Without accounting for busing that would need to be added to accommodate half-day kindergarten, reducing the full-day program could save the district as much as $840,000, according to budget documents.

"It was not a cut that there was a large amount of enthusiasm about," board president John Diviney said. "Be that as it may we, do face a shortfall of several million dollars."

However, several trustees and residents have spoken out against that change based on what it could mean for local families: less robust educational opportunity for the kids themselves, and increased costs for parents who would have to arrange for child care before or after their children's kindergarten session or find a private kindergarten program if they prefer full-day opportunities.

"Many people including myself moved to this district with the assumption that there would be full day kindergarten," said resident Fern Silverman, addressing the school board on Tuesday night. "By giving kindergarteners a half day you’re reducing the education they're going to get from the start."

We'll now hand the issue over to our Moms Council – and the rest of the Three Village community – for our weekly Moms Talk dialogue.

• What do you see as the positives or negatives of half day kindergarten?
• What would it mean for your family?
• If your children had half day kindergarten in the past, what was their experience like?