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I have been to angry recently and haven't been writing on this blog. Its time to start again. Today's topic.... Full Day Kindergarten...
My son is ready for Kindergarten next year... heck he's long passed being ready. He's big for his age and he's already gotten into the family habit of going to sleep with a book in his hand. (At least he goes to sleep... the Senior Junior is replicating my sleep pattern and staying up to all hours to read.... I have long met Midnights, and started doing so before I got out of Elementary School...) And now I have been told that due to budget cuts, he is going to get only a half day (2.5 hours) of Kindergarten next year unless... drumroll.... the parents can come up with 2500 for each kid. I have seen the studies. Half-Day KG has long term effects. Kids are still catching up by 8th grade. But since they believe that we can pay for it (and this is the 6th year of such demands) we will.
Its a multi-level threat. If we get half day KG, Gwyn can't hold down a job... or at least her current one. Someone (and due to travel it can't be me) will have to be at school at 8, 11:30 and 2 pm. Its less time than his current YMCA Pre-school program. And the pressure's on for more than 2500 (since "not all parents are committed enough to their kids to come up with the money" is how it was explained to me) and any excess goes toward other programs. This is simply unacceptable.
What am I going to do? I don't know. I guess I will have to find the money somewhere... which in this current economy is a pretty hard thing to do.
But I shouldn't have to.... at least not this way. The whole purpose of a public school system is to provide education on an equal basis to the community. Not to provide "better" education to those that can pay more. And yet, in some sick and perverted way, this is exactly what is now happening. Our school is in a highly affluent neighborhood. I suspect that we will somehow make the number. A school in a poor neighborhood gets more money for "discretion". They can fund full day. But in a good strong working class neighborhood, the families make too much for discretion but not enough to privately fund. And Bamm. Those kids are placed at a permanent disadvantage. And this isn't an "enrichment program" (although that's how they justify it... half day is "standard", full day is "enriched" and thus "optional") this is a basic program.
I blame this on "Most Children Held Back" and the ridiculous cost for layer after layer of tests to the exclusion of education.
My son is ready for Kindergarten next year... heck he's long passed being ready. He's big for his age and he's already gotten into the family habit of going to sleep with a book in his hand. (At least he goes to sleep... the Senior Junior is replicating my sleep pattern and staying up to all hours to read.... I have long met Midnights, and started doing so before I got out of Elementary School...) And now I have been told that due to budget cuts, he is going to get only a half day (2.5 hours) of Kindergarten next year unless... drumroll.... the parents can come up with 2500 for each kid. I have seen the studies. Half-Day KG has long term effects. Kids are still catching up by 8th grade. But since they believe that we can pay for it (and this is the 6th year of such demands) we will.
Its a multi-level threat. If we get half day KG, Gwyn can't hold down a job... or at least her current one. Someone (and due to travel it can't be me) will have to be at school at 8, 11:30 and 2 pm. Its less time than his current YMCA Pre-school program. And the pressure's on for more than 2500 (since "not all parents are committed enough to their kids to come up with the money" is how it was explained to me) and any excess goes toward other programs. This is simply unacceptable.
What am I going to do? I don't know. I guess I will have to find the money somewhere... which in this current economy is a pretty hard thing to do.
But I shouldn't have to.... at least not this way. The whole purpose of a public school system is to provide education on an equal basis to the community. Not to provide "better" education to those that can pay more. And yet, in some sick and perverted way, this is exactly what is now happening. Our school is in a highly affluent neighborhood. I suspect that we will somehow make the number. A school in a poor neighborhood gets more money for "discretion". They can fund full day. But in a good strong working class neighborhood, the families make too much for discretion but not enough to privately fund. And Bamm. Those kids are placed at a permanent disadvantage. And this isn't an "enrichment program" (although that's how they justify it... half day is "standard", full day is "enriched" and thus "optional") this is a basic program.
I blame this on "Most Children Held Back" and the ridiculous cost for layer after layer of tests to the exclusion of education.
posted by prophet of doom | 2:28 PM
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