7 of 17 schools now have full-day K

Declining enrollment enables change at Lippitt School

Matt Bower
Posted 9/30/14

Lippitt Elementary School became the latest to add an all-day Kindergarten program to its curriculum in the Warwick school district.

“The district was looking at schools with 23 students or …

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7 of 17 schools now have full-day K

Declining enrollment enables change at Lippitt School

Posted

Lippitt Elementary School became the latest to add an all-day Kindergarten program to its curriculum in the Warwick school district.

“The district was looking at schools with 23 students or less to open up all-day K. We thought we were in the running in June or July, but then we had 25 or 26 kids,” said Lippitt Principal Martin Susla.

As the numbers continued to change, Susla said the school ended up with 11 students in the morning kindergarten session and 12 in the afternoon, making it possible to open an all-day K program.

“I met with the elementary director [Lynn Dambruch] and she and the superintendent [Richard D’Agostino] thought it would be good to open up all-day K,” Susla said.

Susla said the all-day K program started on Sept. 15, which he said was a benefit to students as they were able to have two weeks in the smaller morning and afternoon sessions to get acclimated to the classroom and the teacher.

“I was anxious because it’s a big change, but it’s worked out extremely well,” he said. “The students had eight days to learn what’s expected of them. To have two weeks of the smaller groups before the transition, if they were to do that with each of the all-day K programs, I think it would be great.”

Susla said previously children had two hours and 45 minutes in the morning or afternoon sessions, with a 30-minute period for itinerants such as music, library, gym, or new this year, art. With a full-day program, the itinerant period is extended to 45 minutes.

Susla said having the students attend an all-day program not only gives them more time with the material, but it also helps them get used to being in school for a full day.

“The kids come prepared for first grade, but there can be a behavior issue when they transfer because they tire out,” Susla said, speaking of students transitioning from a half-day kindergarten session to a full day of school when entering first grade. “They’re used to switching up a lot, so the full-day program is a big advantage.”

Kindergarten teacher Michaela Amaral says when children become tired because of the longer than usual schedule “that’s when I use my bag of tricks.” She said she gives the kids “brain breaks” by playing Dr. Jean Music for Young Children. She tried classical music, but while the girls liked it, the boys didn’t. And she has a class full of boys – 17 to be precise.

Susla said with the introduction of Common Core state standards, there’s more expected of students, even at the kindergarten level, so having a full day of instruction helps.

“There’s so much to Common Core state standards,” he said. “In math, they have to know geometry, they have to know shapes, and they have to solve problems and explain how they got their answer.”

Susla said the full-day program allows for the presentation of a more complete curriculum.

“When I was in kindergarten, we had a nap time, but we don’t do that anymore. The kids do get a brain break, which is more of a socialization period where they play with blocks or play-Dough,” he said. “It’s working out so far.”

Susla said parents have been very enthusiastic about the program.

“The parents have been so ecstatic. We had an open house [last] Tuesday and they appreciate that we’re able to do this,” he said. “There was only one complaint and it was because the parent misses their child and wants to spend more time with them.”

Susla said he thinks parents are also happy from a financial standpoint, as it can be tough to find daycare if they work full-time when their child was only in school for half the day.

“We’re thankful that we’re able to do this; it’s good for the kids,” he said. “The goal is to get them the best education possible, and with more time we can do it.”

Superintendent Richard D’Agostino said with Lippitt adding all-day K, that makes seven schools out of 17 in the district that offer the program, or roughly one-third.

Lippitt joins John Brown Francis, Oakland Beach, Robertson, Scott, Warwick Neck, John Wickes and the Drum Rock Childhood Learning Center as offering all-day K in the district.

“At this point in time, these schools are eligible due to the combined numbers in [morning and afternoon] kindergarten sessions being lower than the kindergarten cutoff,” he said, adding that the cutoff was extended from a maximum of 23 students in the class to 25 thanks to an agreement from the Warwick Teachers Union (WTU) after some schools were one or two students over the cap, thereby allowing them to have all-day K.

“Instead of running half-day programs and sending the teacher to another half-day program, we thought it was beneficial and prudent to keep the kids there all day,” D’Agostino continued. “We also keep the teachers, which are not lost to declining enrollment, so it’s win-win.”

D’Agostino said previously, if a kindergarten class was over the cap of 23 students, the extra students would have to be transported to a half-day program at another school, so extending the cap and being able to offer full-day programs also saves on transportation costs.

D’Agostino said the all-day K programs are being offered as a pilot program made possible through the cooperation of the WTU.

“The students benefit from this, which is what it’s all about,” he said. “We’re able to provide this at no cost to the taxpayer or the city and we’re utilizing existing classrooms and staff.”

In order to hire the proper amount of staff to offer full-day K programs at every school, D’Agostino estimated staff costs would be between $3 million and $3.5 million.

When asked if he sees additional schools being able to offer full-day programs next year, D’Agostino said it’s something the department is keeping an eye on.

“If the only thing we can rely on is the existing budget and enrollment, all indications are that enrollment is dropping,” he said. “Right now enrollment is at 9,150; last year at this time it was 9,380.”

D’Agostino said the all-day program is an opportunity to provide more in-depth instruction in the areas of reading, math, science, social studies and readiness skills.

“There’s more time to expand on the lessons and objectives,” he said, adding there’s also more time for students to socialize in school. “We also have music and art in kindergarten that we didn’t have in the curriculum prior. It gives students more time and exposure to different content areas and enrichment areas.”

D’Agostino said he wishes the school department were able to offer full-day K programs at all elementary schools.

“Everybody is positive. The only concern has been, ‘Why not our school?’” he said. “From day one, there haven’t been any problems or incidents. Both parents and teachers are excited and motivated and the kids are enjoying themselves and learning a lot.”

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