Officials at River Forest School District 90 are mulling their options concerning full- or extended-day kindergarten, with expanded kindergarten possibly coming next year, a few years down the road, or not at all.
A report put together by the Superintendent Leadership Council was delivered Tuesday night, laying out a few options of how the district may add to its current program. The district currently offers two-and-a-half hour, five-day program, but there has been some interest in expanding the program.
“The issue was part of our strategic plan and it came back as a top theme from many of our parents,” said Superintendent Thomas Hagerman.
There are three options for extending the program: a full-day program focused on current kindergarten curriculum; an extended-day program using the current curriculum for half the day focusing on academics, arts, physical activities and social and emotional education the other half; and a hybrid program that would have three full days and two half-days and touch on the same themes as full-day.
The council’s report indicated that teachers believe a full-day, five-day program is ideal, as it would advance both academics and socialization for students of all ranges, from at-risk to advanced children. The report said students in a full-day program will spend 30 percent more time reading and will have 40 to 50 percent more overall instruction than a half-day program.
Full-day kindergarten also has the support of district staff, as 75 percent of the 47 teachers surveyed said they would like to see such a program, while 25 percent supported extended-day kindergarten.
Due to limited space at the schools — which Hagerman said is mostly due to old and out-dated schools — officials are investigating off-site space. But that’s not ideal, Hagerman said. Most of the sites surveyed were too small to accommodate the up to eight kindergarten classes. The site of the vacant Hines Lumber, 7820 W. Madison St., was the only site survey that was considered large enough, but drawbacks include a list price of $2.5 million and renovation costs.
“It would be impossible to do without some extra classroom space,” Hagerman said. He added that even though the first search yielded few results, they will still look for feasible off-site locations.
“We will certainly keep our eyes open, if it makes sense (financially),” he said.
On-site is also a possibility, but that comes with its own costs. All three options would need some upgrades and spending, with start-up costs estimated at $93,000 for extended-day, and $132,000 for full day and the hybrid program. All three programs could cost up to $329,000 a year in personnel, but costs could be lower for extended-day because the district could opt for some teachers aides instead of certified staff.
But due to potential fees for the hybrid and extended-day, the programs could bring in anywhere from $210,000 and $560,000 in tuition, depending on the type of program and enrollment. Because the full-day program would use mostly existing curriculum, it would legally fall under the same rules as half-day and would not require tuition, Hagerman said.
The timeline for both the decision from the board and when, and if, an expansion of the program would go into place is not yet clear. Hagerman said it could be next year if the board gives that direct, but acknowledged that it could be a couple years down the road if significant construction is needed.
“There are still a lot of questions that need to be entertained,” he said.
