Full Day Kindergarten is a No-Brainer!

Over the years we have heard the ambiguous term “education reform” used again and again. Usually, it is accompanied by statistics purporting to show that America is far behind other countries in the areas of math and science. The clear implication that if we did not quickly get our act together, we will fall further and further behind contributing to the decline of American “exceptionalism.” Various programs have been proposed with varied results. The most recent and notable being the “No Child Left Behind Act,” which was challenged by the State of Connecticut and never implemented. Are we really so powerless to improve the quality of education? This question has been seriously considered and studied. The results have shown that the answer is an indefatigable “NO.” In fact, many common sense solutions have been identified that can be easily implemented on a local level. One of the most basic is full day kindergarten. The benefits of full day kindergarten have been quantifiably demonstrated in study after study. This is not radical or experimental by any stretch. We know it works! It is simple common sense change that works. Stated another way, this is a total no-brainer. I understand that many people will argue that since we have not had this program in the past we do not need it in the future. This will be termed around budget constraints and fiscal policy. If allowed to persist, this attitude will directly contribute to the decline of our culture. No, I don’t think I’m overstating the point. This is one small but significant solution to a very large problem. During the Board of Education deliberations leading up the decision to implement full day kindergarten I heard a board member use the phrase, “think nationally but act locally.” Vote for full day kindergarten because you love America.