This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Full-day Kindergarten May Become a Reality in Verona

Residents to cast their vote on the measure in November elections.

Although parents of preschoolers in Verona have been petitioning for full-day kindergarten periodically over the years, next year just might be their breakthrough year.

A determined group of parents have recently organized  to raise the issue once more, and this time their proposal is quickly gaining traction.

“We have taken it the furthest than any other group has in the past,” said Crystal Bichalski who along with Dana Wynne initiated the movement for full-day kindergarten. “We are committed to this."  

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After their children entered kindergarten this year the two started conducting their own informal poll of parents at school pick-up times. They found an interest existed among other parents in town and approached the new Superintendent of Schools Steven Forte. With scarcely a month on the job, Forte heard the group out and took action. He consented to working toward a change if the group, now known as Full Day K for Verona, NJ, could demonstrate enough support for the measure.

243 petition signatures

After meeting with Forte, Bichalski hit the ground running. She created a Facebook group by the same name, and set out to gather signatures. After only a week, one in which the schools were closed for winter break, the group returned a petition with 243 signatures.

Each signature obtained came from a separate household as only one signature per household was permitted in order to more accurately gauge the level of support in the community.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“This isn’t just what I want.” Bichalski pointed out. “This is what a lot of people in town want.”

When the group presented the signatures to the Verona Board of Education, Bichalski said the board was receptive. According to Bichalski Board President John Quattrocchi understood the demand for the program, but acknowledged there was no money in the budget for one. He suggested putting the program, which would cost $140,000, to a vote in the November elections.

Forte agreed.

“A substantial part of the public is interested in this,” he said, noting the number of signatures on the petition exceeded the number of children entering kindergarten next year. Currently, 150 children are enrolled in the program.

Roseland model

Forte has since proposed a program based on the Roseland school district’s kindergarten program. This “Roseland model,” starts the year out as it is currently with a four-hour session from September to December and then switches to a full day program from January to June. 

“I felt like that was a very good compromise,” Forte said. “For right now I’m very happy with the plan we proposed.”

Although Forte affirmed he is “a believer in full-day kindergarten,” he saw the “Roseland model” as a means of instituting a full-day program at a reasonable cost. Forte also explained not all parents backing the proposal desired a full year of full-day instruction. Some parents felt the Roseland model was a perfect way to help young students transition from a shorter day to full day of school.    

While Bichalski is one who would prefer a full-day year-round program, she understands other parents have differing views. As a mom who has been both a stay-at-home mom and one who works outside the home, she said the group’s aim was not to divide, but rather to raise an educational issue.

“There’s not enough time. There is core curriculum that New Jersey adopted that makes kindergarten very much like first grade. It is very challenging for teachers to (meet curriculum standards) given the time that they have.”

Forte sees the difficulties as well. He noted if the proposal passes, students would see an increase of 150 hours of instruction or about an extra three weeks of school.

For Bichalski personally, that time would go a long way in making up for what she perceives as missed educational opportunities for children like hers who were enrolled in full-day preschool programs and then went on to a kindergarten that provides less time in the classroom.

“I felt like she was going to take a step back,” Bichalski said of her daughter. “I moved to Verona specifically for the school system. We invested a lot of money to move here. I was disappointed to find that the kindergarten program was not a full day.”

If the proposal to raise the needed taxes to fund the program passes on the November ballot, Forte said the program would be effective immediately with the extended day starting January 2013. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?