Free Full-Time Kindergarten Programs Ramping Up at Two Sumner District Schools

Parents who've been combing the Sumner School District website of late to get their kids registered and ready to start kindergarten in the 2013-14 school year may have stumbled across a curious note about free full-day kindergarten next year - especially if you were looking at Daffodil Valley or Liberty Ridge elementary schools for your children.

Yes, it looks like full-day kindergarten's coming back to Sumner -- slowly -- as spurred ahead by last year's State Supreme Court ruling in McCleary v. Washington that found the state was not fully funding education, plus a continued emphasis on early learning, said Sumner School District spokesperson Ann Cook.

A phase-in over time to fund full-time kindergarten is supposed to occur across the state, she said, and the district is reportedly scheduled to receive state funding for a full-time kindergarten program at two schools this September. The idea is that the funding distribution would be based on need, so a district and school's socio-economic status -- or the number of students on free and reduced lunch programs -- would determine who gets funded first, said Cook.

However, as the Legislature continues its session in Olympia and no actual funding has been received, district leaders are taking it upon themselves to secure local funding to support the programs at the two elementary schools. "It's time to start making that transition," she said.

A lot of it is logistical, Cook said, because issues like classroom availability, materials and staffing need to be worked out and the district simply can't wait for the end of session.

Since 2009 when the Legislature cut funds previously made available by Initiative 728 which supported full-day kindergarten, districts continue to offer part-time kindergarten. Some districts opt to offer classes five days a week for half days. Cook said Sumner decided to schedule children to attend full day classes two or three days per week on a staggered system.

This coming fall, that schedule will no longer exist for Liberty Ridge and Daffodil Valley. "Full-time kindergarten students attend school every day and have the same school calendar as students in grades 1-5," said the district website. "Students enrolled in full-time kindergarten receive extra instruction time to learn basic skills for first grade."

That instruction time includes curriculum enhancements, Cook said. As an example, she offered that administration is working out a "world language learning component" for kindergarten. It's not likely the students will become fluent in a foreign language, but the idea is they'd become introduced to it and learn some basic vocabulary. "We're still exploring what that looks like in kindergarten," she said. "It's not something we're currently offering. ... it's very exciting."

Kindergarten Options for 2013-14

To summarize:

• Families who live within the school boundaries for Daffodil Valley and Liberty Ridge and are enrolling their children in kindergarten will be placed in the full-time program.
• Families in other 6 school boundaries will continue to be able to enroll in the existing half-time program or a tuition-based full-time program on a space available basis.

Full-day tuition rates include a $100 registration deposit that is applied to June tuition and then a monthly tuition of $325. Click here to view the district website for a map of school boundaries.

Moving into the next few years, the district will aim to follow an articulated schedule to move to all full-time kindergarten classes by 2018, Cook said.

Reminder to Register Soon

The district released a registration packet and forms in January for parents to begin registering their children for the 2013-14 school year, and though deadlines aren't concrete, Cook encourages parents to get those forms turned in soon.

The reason is there are orientations, screenings, and other important dates for families beginning in April and running right up to the start of fall. In order to take full advantage of district resources to ensure your child or children are getting their best possible start, get those forms in!

Click here to view those important dates coming up this year.