Gloucester Township Schools Provide Details on Full Day Kindergarten Program

Gloucester Township, NJ -- Calling it a “celebratory moment in our town,” Gloucester Township Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau and school representatives provided more details on the district’s decision to implement a full-day kindergarten program beginning in September.

He addressed a packed house in the cafeteria at the Charles W. Lewis School Wednesday night.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the plan at its board meeting on Feb. 22.

A recent decline in the township’s population over the last several years made it possible for the district to expand the program without needing to build additional classrooms.

The district will hire between two and three new staff members, and there will be an initial cost for the purchase of supplies. Bilodeau said overall, there will be a minimal tax impact, but no exact numbers were provided.

The district will also be eliminating the transitional first grade program, as there is some overlap between that program and what will be done in the kindergarten classrooms, and the New Jersey Department of Education doesn’t recommend using that transitional program.

While expanding the program will allow teachers to touch on some things they don’t have time to talk about in the half-day kindergarten program, which has existed in the township for at least 46 years, the expanded program will be more than just a teacher lecturing to students.

It will provide academic, social and emotional support for students, officials said. The school day will be a mix of lecture, independent work, socializing and private time. Each day will begin with students meeting with the teacher and talking about what will happen that day, and conclude with a similar meeting.

“This is the right thing to do,” Gloucester Township School District Director of Curriculum and Instruction Timothy L. Trow said.

A breakdown of the day was presented in a condensed version of the video “High Quality Kindergarten Today,” which can be viewed in its entirety on the New Jersey Department of Early Childhood Education website.

The program will be offered in all eight of the district’s elementary schools. The anticipated enrollment for the initial full-day kindergarten class is about 625 students. The target class size is 18 students.

The district also expects smaller class sizes for younger grades, and between 24 and 25 students in the older classes.

Currently there are about 500 students in the half-day kindergarten program, which has existed in Gloucester Township for at least 46 years.

The hours would be 8:40 a.m.-3:05 p.m., the same hours currently used by the district’s elementary schools. The current half-day kindergarten schedule is from 8:40 a.m.-11:25 a.m.

The district’s internal based Latchkey program will be available for kindergarten students. Latchkey is available every day, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. There is also a summer program.

Registration is March 14 through April 15. Registration dates for each school have been posted on gloucestertownshipschools.org.