EDITORIAL

Move toward universal all-day K is right for RI

Posted 7/15/15

In today’s increasingly connected and competitive world, our children need – and deserve – access to every possible resource and opportunity that will position them for future …

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EDITORIAL

Move toward universal all-day K is right for RI

Posted

In today’s increasingly connected and competitive world, our children need – and deserve – access to every possible resource and opportunity that will position them for future success.

All-day kindergarten has broadly been accepted as a vital component of education with a range of benefits. Yet in Rhode Island, up to this year, seven districts – including Warwick, Cranston and Johnston – have remained without all-day K.

Now, that appears set to change. The $8.7-billion state budget for the coming year, recently approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Gina Raimondo, includes $1.4 million to help extend all-day K to the districts still without it. There is also a mandate that the process of instituting universal all-day K be completed by the 2016-17 school year.

State Sen. Hanna Gallo of Cranston has been widely credited for her commitment to securing funding for all-day K, and we also applaud her efforts. We also congratulate state Rep. Stephen Ucci of Johnston, who sponsored the measure in the House.

Both legislators have made a strong case for all-day K.

“We need to ensure that all students – regardless of where they live – have access to the benefits of full-day kindergarten. It boosts cognitive and academic achievement, as well as social and emotional growth,” Gallo said. “It helps to close achievement gaps between the highest and lowest performing students in reading and math. Full-day kindergarten is particularly beneficial for second language learners.”

“I believe full-day kindergarten better prepares children for elementary school because it gives them the time they need to settle into the rhythms of school and, obviously, provides much more time for instruction,” Ucci said. “Many kindergartners need more than a half-day program to prepare academically, socially and emotionally for elementary school; and the full-day program can prevent them from falling behind and needing expensive remedial help or repeating a grade.”

Warwick is set to run 14 all-day K classrooms this fall, while Cranston has planned for four. Johnston had included funding to begin the program in its budget following the efforts of municipal and school leaders.

State leaders have focused on all-day K, and other educational issues, as a key part of the broader vision for Rhode Island’s economic revival. Given that education and innovation are, today, more important than ever to the future prosperity of our communities, we strongly agree with that focus.

Fully realizing the vision of all-day K across Rhode Island will, of course, require a continued financial commitment on the part of our leaders. Given the stakes, and the important first step this year’s budget represents, we are confident they will see the process through.

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