Chatham Ponders Pilot Program For Full-Day Kindergarten

CHATHAM, NJ - Even though he was reluctant to admit it, Board Vice President Matthew Gilfillan said that the School District of the Chathams was considering the possibility of introducing a tuition-funded full-day Kindergarten Pilot Program for the next school year.

Cautioning residents not to "go bananas," Gilfillan said the talks on the program were in their infancy.

"We’re looking at this, we’re not guaranteeing this,” Gilfillan said. "I am sure we are going to get a lot of people showing up at the next meeting asking when they can get their children into full-day kindergarten."

Gilfillan said that the district is not required to provide kindergarten by law, but that they would be looking into it on a pilot basis.

You can see the discussion of the pilot at the 31 minute mark in the video below.

Superintendent Michael LaSusa told Patch Monday that it was still too early to know details.

"Our pilot would be based on a lottery and tuition, but it is too early to commit to the details," LaSusa said. "We will wait to see how our registration process unfolds in January, and then we will have a better handle on the logistics of the possible program."

(Photo courtesy of YouTube)

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