Petition Seeks Full-Day Kindergarten for District 112

A petition has begun to circulate urging North Shore School District 112 officials to implement full-day kindergarten at all its schools.

Created by Highland Park resident Melissa Feldman on Change.org and addressed to Superintendent Michael Bregy and the District 112 board of education, the petition states, in part, “Back when we were kids, half-day kindergarten was fine because it was play-based, however now, with common core, it is impossible for these kids to learn all they need to in 2 hours (in NSSD 112, 30 minutes of their day is specials).”

The petition also points out the number of other nearby communities that have either expanded or began their full-day kindergarten program recently including Deerfield School District 109, which passed a measure this week.

“Something needs to be done as soon as possible to keep up with the demands of the core standards as well as the areas surrounding us,” states the petition - which had 163 supporters as of 9:33 p.m. on Thursday, March 12.

Among the comments from those who have signed include:

“It is time for district 112 to provide what is developmentally appropriate for our student population.” - Rinna Maletsky of Highland Park

“This is necessary for the children in the community!” Susan VanBoening of Highland Park

“The Kindergarten day is too short. There are too many expectations placed on the child to learn in such a condensed period of time. Kindergarteners are ready for a full day of school. Many pre-K children already put in a full day between morning pre-school and afternoon enrichment programs.” Amy Galvin of Highland Park

You tell us in the comments section below: Should District 112 follow the viewpoint of the petition supporters and enact full-day kindergarten?