School opts for all-day K

Kindergartners entering Brownstown and Freetown elementary schools will find themselves in classrooms all day this fall.

"This is something we've wanted for the longest time," Brownstown Elementary School Principal Tom McCool said Thursday afternoon in reference to a school board decision on Tuesday night.

During that monthly meeting, trustees voted 5-0 to proceed with full-day kindergarten.

McCool said the time was just right.

"Everything just worked out to where we could do it," he said.

The state has been pondering the idea of full-day kindergarten for all Hoosier children for years, but a lack of funding has hurt those efforts.

McCool said it's something he thinks the state should do eventually.

"I think it's something we need," he said.

Brownstown Elementary School already has classroom space available for the five sections of full-day kindergarten that officials expect, McCool said.

"We generally have about 100 children," he said.

In the past, the school has been able to offer full-day kindergarten to two sections by using federal Title One funds, McCool said. Only students needing extra help were placed in those classes, but now all kindergartners will go full time.

The change means there will be five full-day sections, requiring an extra teacher. Because this year's fifth-grade class is smaller, a teacher will be moved from that grade level to kindergarten.

"We won't have to hire a teacher this year," McCool said.

A Jumpstart Program, funded by United Way, also will help some of the children make the transition from home life to school life.

That 10-day program begins Aug. 3 and is designed to help students make adjustments to school life, including how to stand in line and even to eat lunch with other students.

"We just want them to get used to school," McCool said.

He said both programs are designed to help the children in the first year of their education.

"We just expect more of them in first grade," he said.