Full-day Kindergarten Research Articles

Idaho

This article is an update on public school finance in the state of Idaho. The article includes updated information regarding the following topics: funding priorities for P–12, changes to the funding formula for P–12, pressing state issues affecting P–12, and exclusive to P–12, what are the alternatives to traditional public schools offered by your state and what does the trend in funding look like for these alternatives. As of 2022, the state of Idaho maintains the lowest per pupil expenditure (PPE) in the nation, ranking 51st when including the District of Columbia. Idaho’s PPE was $8,376 in 2021, which comes in at 58% of the national average of $14,360. The average Idaho teacher’s salary is $51,817 which ranks 45th in the nation. Idaho also ranks last in K–12 education support staff average earnings at $25,830. However, in 2021 the state of Idaho interestingly ranked 17th in student achievement according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress ( Staff, 2021 ). The major funding priorities for the state of Idaho related to education are as follows: funding the Career Ladder, full-day kindergarten, teacher compensation, literacy initiative, and the opportunity scholarship. A couple of pressing state issues for Idaho include the teacher shortage and the public-school funding formula.

Universal Full-Day Kindergarten and Maternal Labor Supply: A Life-Cycle Analysis.

We estimate the effect of state-level policies enacting universal free full-day kindergarten on mothers' labor supply using a life-cycle analysis. Similar to previous research on childcare and labor supply, we find that free full-day kindergarten increases labor force participation rates for mothers whose youngest child is kindergarten-aged by 4.3 to 7.1 percentage points. We find that for mothers whose youngest child is an infant, labor force participation increases by 7.2 to 9.8 percentage points, and for women whose youngest child is 3 to 4 years old labor force participation increases by 5.9 to 7.9 percentage points. The fact that the policies impact the labor supply for mothers of younger-than-kindergarten-age children by even more than for mothers of kindergarten-aged children is important for understanding the full effect of subsidized childcare. This is consistent with a life-cycle model of labor supply where wages and prices in future periods impact mothers' labor force attachment.

Mejilawi to Enhance the Symbolic Thinking Abilities for Children’s Kindergarten

This research aims to improve children's symbolic thinking abilities through the use of mejilawi (teaching method) and describes the application of mejilawi in enhancing children's symbolic thinking abilities. The subjects of this research were Group A students of PAS Baitul Qur'an Gontor Full-day Kindergarten. This research uses a qualitative descriptive classroom action research approach. Data collection methods used in this research include observation and oral tests. Meanwhile, the data analysis method uses a qualitative descriptive approach. The research model used in this research refers to Kemmis and McTaggart's theory, which is applied in a spiral form consisting of planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Research findings show increased children's symbolic thinking abilities after implementing mejilawi. In cycle I, out of 20 children aged 4-5 years at PAS Baitul Qur'an Gontor Fullday Kindergarten, 11 (55%) achieved BSH and BSB grades. In cycle II, there was an increase in the number of children who obtained BSH and BSB scores, reaching 17 (85%). The application of mejilawi as a learning medium to improve children's symbolic thinking skills consists of five stages: (1) the child arranges ten bowls neatly and counts them, (2) the child arranges and places the numbers 1 to 10 under the bowl, (3) the child holds the nuts correctly, (4) children put nuts in their hands as a symbolic representation of the numbers, (5) children are allowed to count the number of nuts again in each bowl. Scientific use of mejilawi can improve children's symbolic thinking abilities.

Idaho

This article is an update on public school finance in the state of Idaho. The article includes updated information regarding the following topics: funding priorities for P–12, changes to the funding formula for P–12, pressing state issues affecting P–12, and exclusive to P–12, what are the alternatives to traditional public schools offered by your state and what does the trend in funding look like for these alternatives. As of 2022, the state of Idaho maintains the lowest per pupil expenditure (PPE) in the nation, ranking 51st when including the District of Columbia. Idaho’s PPE was $8,376 in 2021, which comes in at 58% of the national average of $14,360. The average Idaho teacher’s salary is $51,817 which ranks 45th in the nation. Idaho also ranks last in K–12 education support staff average earnings at $25,830. However, the state of Idaho interestingly ranks 17th in the area of student achievement. The legislature voted to temporarily change its funding formula to an enrollment-based calculation for the 2021–2022 school year. Governor Little vetoed House Bill 723, which means the funding formula will switch back to an average daily attendance calculation in 2023–2024. The major funding priorities for the state of Idaho related to education are as follows: funding the Career Ladder, full-day kindergarten, teacher compensation, literacy initiative, and the opportunity scholarship. A couple of pressing state issues for Idaho include the teacher shortage and the public school funding formula, which is always a topic of possible revision.

Acceptability, Helpfulness, and Utility of the Healthy Lunch Box Booklet (HLBB) for Parents and School-Age Children.

Purpose: School lunches are of poor nutritional quality in Canada. Parents play an important role in the preparation of school lunches for young children. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and helpfulness of the Healthy Lunch Box Booklet (HLBB) to support parents in packing healthy school lunches for their children.Methods: The HLBB was distributed at four schools in London, Ontario to students in full-day Kindergarten to Grade three. Parents were asked to complete an online survey from April to November 2019.Results: Parents (n = 58) reported the HLBB to be helpful (96.3%) and found the sections on new school lunch and snack ideas and nutritional information (e.g.,label reading) particularly useful. Some parents also stated that the HLBB created opportunities to interact with their children regarding school lunch preparation. In terms of perceived impacts, parents reported increased confidence (68.6%) and learning something new (79.6%) about school lunch preparation and felt that their children's diet was impacted accordingly.Conclusions: The HLBB was found to be an acceptable and useful nutrition resource that supports parents in packing healthy school lunches for their children and therefore warrants further study.

Determining who is at-risk in the full-day kindergarten program

Research indicates that early intervention can improve long term outcomes for students who struggle early in school. However, in multi-layered organization such as the school system, many elements may come into play when deciding which students will receive support. This study examined these elements including system requirements and expectations at the provincial and school board levels, current practice in schools and classrooms, and the beliefs and knowledge of individuals surrounding the assessment and identification of at-risk students. Using a qualitative approach, 23 individuals were interviewed. Relevant provincial and school board documents as well as artifacts were gathered to provide further information. The findings indicate that many elements influence the identification of a student as at-risk including the characteristics of the student, and the particular classroom, school, and school board the student attends. The results of this study reveal a lack of clarity as well as differing perspectives and priorities when it comes to the concept of at-risk. The study findings contribute to our understanding of practice and beliefs around young students at-risk and how the interactions of the various elements involved impact the identification of individual students.

Exploring the Effects of Full-Day Kindergarten on School Absenteeism for Children With Disabilities: Evidence From State Policy Mandates in the United States

Student absenteeism is a barrier to learning and an issue that requires policy intervention. Students with disabilities are of particular concern, as they miss school more often than students in any other demographic group. Affecting a key attribute of school structures, policies promoting full-day kindergarten began as an effort to improve opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but no studies have provided causal evidence as to whether full-day kindergarten enrollment relates to school attendance. No studies have examined whether effects exist for students with disabilities in the long term. Using a nationally representative sample of children with disabilities in the United States ( N = 2,120), we employed an instrumental-variable strategy that capitalized on state-level policy shifts of full-day kindergarten offerings as an exogenous source of variation. We found that full-day kindergarten structures related to a sharp increase in absenteeism for children with disabilities in kindergarten and first and second grades. We found no relationship to absenteeism for these children in later years of primary schooling. We discuss policy implications of these findings.

Operationalization of self-regulation in the early years: comparing policy with theoretical underpinnings

Research has consistently demonstrated that self-regulation is essential for the development and preservation of health and well-being in the early years and across the lifespan. Based on the emerging literature on the important role of self-regulation in promoting healthy child development, policymakers have made efforts to include self-regulation skills in practice and policy documents worldwide. Despite efforts to include self-regulation skills in early years curriculum documents, there is limited understanding by teachers, scholars, and policymakers of what self-regulation is and how best to support it in the day-to-day classroom. This limited understanding is perpetuated by a lack of a unified definition of self-regulation. Thus, it becomes important to examine these efforts in a critical way. In Ontario, where the research was completed, a revised play-based full-day kindergarten program was introduced in 2016. In this research we use a qualitative document analysis approach to compare the conceptualization of self-regulation in Ontario’s revised play-based kindergarten program with theory-driven models of self-regulation from empirical research. Analysis was iterative, and themes emerged based upon a coding scheme developed by the research team. Results suggest that co-regulation has a powerful influence on student learning. In addition, the policy document de-emphasizes behavioral regulation and expands cognitive regulation to include more than inhibitory control. Lastly, the kindergarten program discusses metacognition in relation to the use of language to articulate one’s thinking with little attention to goal-directed behaviors. In this paper, explicit recommendations for policymakers and practitioners are provided to ensure that emerging conceptualizations of self-regulation are promoted in early years curricula. Further, empirical evidence is needed to support why it is necessary to understand emerging conceptualizations of self-regulation and outline implications for current early years curricula.

The Perceived Effectiveness of Full-Day Kindergarten for Children with ADHD

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, and the numbers only continue to rise. Ontario has implemented play-based FDK in the last decade, thus it is imperative that the perceived effectiveness of the program for children with ADHD is studied. In conducting this study, the researchers present and interprets educators’ perceptions of the FDK program and the perceived effectiveness of FDK for children with ADHD. Using an Ecological Systems Theory lens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators from multiple cities throughout Southwestern Ontario to obtain their perceptions of Play-Based FDK and ADHD. The data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis (TA) and three themes emerged: (1) Knowledge and Understanding, (2) Benefits and Challenges of Play-Based FDK for Children with ADHD, and (3) Strategies Used to Promote Success. These themes encompassed the general lived experiences and knowledge that educators have on the effectiveness of the FDK program for children with ADHD. Limitations of the study and future areas of research are discussed.

Building Evidence for Pre-school Policy Change in Bulgaria.

In September 2020, Bulgaria's National Assembly (Parliament) passed legal amendments aimed at increasing kindergarten participation for children aged 4–6 in Bulgaria, with poor children standing to benefit the most. For the first time, state budget funds were set aside to relieve parents of the costs of monthly attendance fees currently collected by full-day kindergartens. It builds on evidence generated from a large-scale randomized control trial (RCT) (2014–2018) across 236 poor communities, implemented by the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) together with the World Bank and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. This paper describes how the RCT was used by TSA to advocate for removal of fees, and how much more evidence besides the RCT needed to be generated and support needed to be mobilized to influence policy action.

Privileging Power: Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, and Racial Socialization in Full-Day Kindergarten

This paper critically unpacks the racialized and gendered hierarchies between the co-teaching model of early childhood educators (ECEs) and Ontario certified teachers (OCTs) in full-day kindergarten (FDK), and how such positionalities speak to racial socialization in early learning spaces. While young children and early learning spaces are often portrayed as raceless, ahistorical, and apolitical, extant literature suggests that children as young as two years of age are aware of visible and cultural differences between themselves and other groups. The paper employs a reconceptualist framework by drawing on critical race theory to explorehow racialized power relations between ECEs and teachers inform hierarchies of dominance and impact processes of racial socialization in FDK learning spaces. While both professions are predominantly feminized, the overwhelming majority of teachers in Ontario are white and middle class, whereas ECEs in FDK programs are more likely to be racialized and marginalized due to low wages and diminished professional status as care workers rather than educators. Although there has been great emphasis on the importance of diversifying the teacher workforce, there is minimal study on the impact of the hierarchies and racialized power relations between ECEs and OCTs and their impact on racial socialization in FDK programs. This conceptual paper seeks to address this gap.

The Principal’s Leadership in Implementing the Full-Day Kindergarten: A Literature Review

The importance of the principal’s leadership in implementing the full-day kindergarten education program attracted authors to research and this article discusses the results of the literature review conducted by the authors. There are a number of articles about the principal’s leadership review and full-day kindergarten implementation especially in the context of the world that can be found. The purpose of this review is to find out the principal’s leadership in implementing full-day kindergarten in a world context. Based on the results of literature reviews from various countries in the world, the authors found the scope of the articles reviewed is still very limited and it is very difficult to get literature that combines the two variables, therefore, the authors would be positively explain the findings for each variable. The results of the review literature on school principal’s leadership show that the principal’s leadership in carrying out his role as a leader has an impact on teacher performance and student achievement. The results of the review literature on the implementation of a full day kindergarten show that children who attend kindergarten (FDK) a full day experience academic and development benefits compared to children who attend a half-day program. Thus, the authors are interested in following up related to the principal’s leadership in implementing full-day kindergarten.

An Examination of Past Trends in School Reports to Child Welfare: Considerations for Reported Child Maltreatment.

This study examines whether increased interaction and observation of young children by school professionals leads to an increase in school-based reports to child welfare authorities and in the identification of child maltreatment victims. Comparing provincial-level data collected before and after full-day kindergarten implementation in Ontario, a doubling in rates of school-referred investigations involving 4- and 5-year-old children was found. There was no significant difference in the rates of maltreatment substantiation, service referrals made or transfers to ongoing services, but the rate of child functioning concerns noted in these investigations tripled. The findings suggest there are differences in how the school and child welfare systems define and respond to suspected child maltreatment. Implications for practice, policy and research are explored.

Evaluating Full Day Kindergarten – Is It Associated with Improved Short- And Long-Term Education Outcomes Among Metis Children?

IntroductionEarly education outcomes influence children’s educational trajectories with long-term effects extending into adulthood. Aboriginal peoples face numerous systemic barriers to academic success. It remains unknown if full-day kindergarten (FDK) is associated with improved academic outcomes among Metis children – a distinct Aboriginal people recognized by the Canadian Constitution.
 Objectives and ApproachThe Manitoba Metis Federation and the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy partnered to identify whether FDK was associated with improved short- and long-term outcomes among Metis children. We created a cohort of Metis children by linking several provincial databases held in the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository (1998-2011). Education data were used to identify all Metis children who attended FDK (n=247) vs half day kindergarten (HDK; n=547). FDK children were matched by age and sex to children in HDK. We used a step-wedged design and applied propensity scores to adjust for measured confounding. We tested for differences in grades 3, 7, 8 outcomes and high school graduation using generalized linear models.
 ResultsFDK children were more likely to live in a low-income neighbourhood. 72% FDK and 74% HDK students met or approached numeracy expectations in grade 3; and 55% FDK and 48% HDK met or approached numeracy expectations in grade 7. For reading expectations, 77% FDK and 75% HDK met or approached grade 3 reading expectations; in grade 8, 62% in each group met or approached expectations for reading and writing. High school graduation rate for FDK children was 84% and for HDK children was 64%. After adjusting for confounding we found FDK children were more likely to graduate high school than HDK children; other outcomes were non-significant.
 Conclusion / ImplicationsKindergarten programs may be insufficient to overcome structural barriers that Metis children face. Culturally appropriate education strategies are needed to support improved outcomes amongst this population.

Masquerade of Neoliberal Concepts Revealed: Self-Regulation Skills in Ontario’s Full Day Kindergarten Program

This study examines an action research project that included four kindergarten teachers who taught in the first year of the Ontario’s mandated full day kindergarten (FDK) program, which began in September 2016. This action research project focused on the teachers’ concerns about the constant unsafe violence, bullying and disruptive behaviour that characterized their FDK classrooms, which led them to explore self-regulation skills. According to the FDK program developers and school administrators, self-regulation was the key to eliminating such difficult behaviours and actions. However, the findings of the action research study revealed there were many challenges in sustaining and having students understand self-regulation, and there was a disconnect between the theoretical understanding of self-regulation and the practical reality of how self-regulation was used in the classroom. The findings of this action research study bring forth an interesting argument: the practical use of self-regulation in FDK classrooms (un)consciously gives permission to the reach and subsequent impact of neoliberalism in schools.

DIFFERENCES IN ROUGH MOTORIC DEVELOPMENT, LANGUAGE AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN WHO KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM FULL DAY AND REGULAR IN 2019

The background of this research is Targeted SDGs of quality education by 2030 ensure that all children have access to quality early development, care, and pre-primary education.The purpose of this study is to find out the differences in Roughmotoric, language and prosocial behavior development in children undergoing kindergarten and regular daytime kindergarten learning.Types and designs in this study use Mixed Methods namely Sequential Explanatory Designs. Population in Quantitative Research children aged 4-6 years who attend learning in kindergarten and regular programs, and qualitative research populations School Leaders, Teachers/Teaching Staff, parents. Quantitative research sample is 34 respondents in Full Day program Kindergarten and 38 people in Regular program and for Qualitative research are School Leaders, Teachers / Teaching Staff, parents, sample technique in Quantitative research is Total Sampling, and for Qualitative research is proportional simple random sampling. Examination using KPSP and prosocial behavior observation sheets in quantitative research, and in qualitative research using interview guides and focus group discussion guides. Data analysis in quantitative research uses Mann Whitney and qualitative research uses data reduction analysis techniques, data display and conclusion drawing / verification.The results of quantitative research on bivariate analysis showed that there were significant differences between children undergoing full-day and regular program kindergarten. On p-value motor development was 0.008 (p <0.05), language p-value was 0.006 (p <0.05) and prosocial behavior p-value was 0.009 (p <0.05). Qualitative research results are not found any obstacles and efforts have been made to improve the quality of Roughmotoric development, language and prosocial behavior, so that it has benefited and achieved expectations of Roughmotoric development, language and prosocial behavior in children undergoing kindergarten full and regular programs.The conclusion of this study is Roughmotoric, language, and prosocial behavior development. in children who undergo full-day kindergarten program is better than regular program kindergarten.Keywords: Language development, rough motor development, prosocial behavior,kindergarten

Disparities Across Time: Exploring Absenteeism Patterns between Cohorts of Students with Disabilities

Background It is of grave concern that kindergartners are missing more school than students in any other year of elementary school; therefore, documenting which students are absent and for how long is of upmost importance. Yet, doing so for students with disabilities (SWDs) has received little attention. This study addresses this gap by examining two cohorts of SWDs, separated by more than a decade, to document changes in attendance patterns. Research Questions First, for SWDs, has the number of school days missed or chronic absenteeism rates changed over time? Second, how are changes in the number of school days missed and chronic absenteeism rates related to changes in academic emphasis, presence of teacher aides, SWD-specific teacher training, and preschool participation? Subjects This study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), a nationally representative data set of children in kindergarten. We rely on both ECLS data sets— the kindergarten classes of 1998–1999 and 2010–2011. Measures were identical in both data sets, making it feasible to compare children across the two cohorts. Given identical measures, we combined the data sets into a single data set with an indicator for being in the older cohort. Research Design This study examined two sets of outcomes: The first was number of days absent, and the second was likelihood of being chronically absent. These outcomes were regressed on a measure for being in the older cohort (our key measure for changes over time) and numerous control variables. The error term was clustered by classroom. Findings We found that SWDs are absent more often now than they were a decade earlier, and this growth in absenteeism was larger than what students without disabilities experienced. Absenteeism among SWDs was higher for those enrolled in full-day kindergarten, although having attended center-based care mitigates this disparity over time. Implications are discussed. Conclusions Our study calls for additional attention and supports to combat the increasing rates of absenteeism for SWDs over time. Understanding contextual shifts and trends in rates of absenteeism for SWDs in kindergarten is pertinent to crafting effective interventions and research geared toward supporting the academic and social needs of these students.

Full-Day Kindergarten: Effects on Maternal Labour Supply

We examine the effects of offering full-day kindergarten as a replacement for half-day kindergarten on mothers' labour supply using the rollout of full-day kindergarten in Ontario, Canada. We find no effect on the extensive margin but found an effect on the intensive margin. In particular, we find that access to full-day kindergarten increases weekly hours worked and decreases absenteeism among mothers with kindergarten-aged children. This effect is driven by specific sub-groups, namely non-immigrant mothers with low education levels who live in urban areas and have only one child.

Joyful Number Talks in Kindergarten

This article discusses the use of number talks to engage kindergarten children in regular joyful math opportunities in the classroom. As an educator of four- and five-year-old students in a full day kindergarten (FDK) program in Ontario, Canada, I embrace inquiry-based learning to guide children’s activities. Inspired by the childcare centres in Reggio Emilia, Italy, I continually support and scaffold the expressed interests of children in the form of projects. This means that children are engaged in and discover answers to self-directed questions on a regular basis. I have always compared kindergarten to a dance; sometimes I lead and other times I follow.

Parental Employment Effects of Switching from Half-Day to Full-Day Kindergarten: Evidence from Ontario’s French Schools

Full-day kindergarten programs are expanding across North America, driven by a policy focus on early childhood development. These programs also affect parents’ budget sets and may lead to changes in labour market outcomes. We examine parents’ labour supply response to the move from half-day to full-day kindergarten in Ontario’s French schools well before the same change was made in English schools. We find no robust evidence of labour supply effects for fathers in two-parent families and only some limited and modest effects for mothers in two-parent families. For single mothers, the estimates suggest large and statistically significant effects on employment and hours of work, in particular for working longer hours.