In most Wisconsin school districts, 4-year-olds can attend kindergarten. But the programs are usually for just part of the day. State legislators are now considering two bills that could expand full-day kindergarten options for children under 5.
One bill would make it easier for school districts to offer full-day 4K programs by increasing the amount of funding per-student. Right now, schools receive about half the funding for 4-year-olds that they get for 5-year-olds. The other bill would loosen the age restrictions on 4K, allowing some 3-year-olds to attend
The bills are products of the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding, a special committee that traveled the state gathering testimony on K-12 education issues.
This has nothing to do with better education and everything to do with finding a way to shovel more money into the K-12 education industry in an era of declining enrollment. Have fewer kids?!?! Budgets declining!?!? Expand the age range of the students!
This is taxpayer funded daycare under the guise of public education. Since a good many three year olds are not yet fully toilet trained Kimberly-Clark and P&G have to be loving this idea of a new high-margin revenue stream for pull-ups.
Also from the linked article:
Olsen is a Republican from central Wisconsin. The other co-chair is Joel Kitchens, also a Republican, who represents Door County. You think they were duped by the educational establishment?
There’s got to be a lower elementary school teacher or two lurking here… all politics aside, how much of an educational upside is there to this that continues to benefit a child beyond 3K-4K?
Merlin, stop talking sense. You’re making it sound like any sort of liberal-teacher-academic research might have any effect on the decision-making process.
Just a few years ago the Fed was citing studies on how there’s no appreciable effect from Head Start on kids as they progress through their schooling. Wonder why liberals want to ignore those when they talk about 4K at the district level?
Merlin, there are upsides for some 4 year old kindergarteners. There is more socialization, more education being taught in some cases, away from some bad parents, etc. 4 year old kindergarten may make sense in poorer areas as opposed to cities like Shorewood.
But there seems to be a large amount of kindergarten teachers unable to find work, so this could be a way to employ them.