District 102 parents commend full-day kindergarten

Suburban Life, May 5, 2009

La Grange, IL -

Molly Teegen is excited about attending kindergarten this coming fall. So is her mother.

Last fall marked the first year Elementary School District 102 parents had an option between half- or full-day kindergarten. On June 4, the School Board will hear a summary report on the full-day program held at Forest Road School in La Grange Park.

Superintendent Mark Van Clay said there are indicators the program has been a success.The voluntary, full-time option required six sections last fall, and the district is anticipating a 50 percent increase in participation this fall.

“It seems like it’s something the community is embracing,” Van Clay said. “Every other indication we have gotten is that it is doing well.”

Kelli Teegen of La Grange has been a supporter of the full-day program since discussions on the concept began late last year. Now her daughter, Molly, will be attending the full-day program.
“My daughter has been going to preschool five days a week,” Kelli Teegen said. “She was ready for a challenge. My older daughter didn’t get that challenge. I was excited they were offering a full-time kindergarten program.”

Kelli Teegen said she used to supplement her older daughter’s education at a private preschool two days a week when she was attending kindergarten. The full-time program brings with it other benefits as well.

“There are savings and I can go back to work part time without having to pay for a sitter,” Kelli Teegen said.

Linda Hyerdall has also been a full-time kindergarten advocate and served on a parents advisory board two years ago as Forest Road School was coping with overcrowding issues. Despite the fact Hyerdall lives next door to Congress School in Brookfield, where her sixth-grader Zach attends, and which continues to have a half-day kindergarten program, her daughter, Kylie, will attend the full-time program at Forest Road in the fall.

“For me, I’m sending my kids to two different schools so that tells you something,” she said. For her and her husband, Brad Hyerdall, who both work full time, it is an all around better situation, Linda Hyerdall said.

“I’m very excited about it. This just works out more with our lifestyle,” she said.

There are savings as well. Linda Hyerdall roughly estimated she spent more than $1,000 in the past for two days of preschool during the summer months. But more importantly, she said the real advantage is the additional time in the classroom.

“This will prepare (children) for the next grade up,” Linda Hyerdall said. “If they absorb like doctors say they absorb, the more the better. It’s not just about education; it’s socialization.”
A full-day kindergarten program is also offered in La Grange School District 105.

According to the State of Illinois Board of Education, there were 83,420 children attending full-day kindergarten programs in the state out of a total of 147,440 children enrolled in kindergarten programs during the 2006-07 school year.