Kindergarten

Kindergarten in the United States

Last Updated Nov 20, 2008 03:41 PM

Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99

Introduction

Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States is the latest in a series of reports from the National Center for Education Statistics using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). A major trend in kindergarten programs that has occurred in the past few decades is an increase in the prevalence of kindergarten classes that meet for the entire school day rather than just a part of the day. This report describes the schools, both public and private, that offer full-day and half-day kindergarten programs and the children who attend them. It also describes many characteristics of public school full-day and half-day kindergarten classes including the teacher's use of instructional activities and their curriculum focus. The report ends with an examination of the reading and mathematics progress made by children in full-day classes compared to half-day classes in public schools.

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