The Benefits of Full-Day Everyday Kindergarten
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether children attending a full-day everyday kindergarten program benefited socially, emotionally and academically from that experience. Surveys were sent to all kindergarten teachers in Minnesota who were known to be teaching in a full-day, everyday setting. The survey consisted of two parts. The first part acquired background information about the teachers and their teaching settings, along with some of their comments. The second part consisted of thirteen questions using a Likert scale to measure teacher attitudes toward full-day, everyday kindergarten and its effects on children. The results were analyzed to determine if full-day, everyday kindergarten was beneficial to the kindergarten child. The survey also asked teachers to identify advantages and disadvantages experienced in the full-day, everyday program. The results found that a full-day, everyday kindergarten program was believed by these teachers to be beneficial socially, emotionally, and academically for kindergarten children.