State Committee To Vote On Full-Day Kindergarten Bill Wednesday

The State Senate Education Committee will vote on legislation Wednesday that would require every school district in the state to provide full-day kindergarten.

The legislation would require districts that do not have full-day kindergarten — including Ridgewood and Wayne — to offer it starting the second full school year following the bill's enactment.

The bill is one of series involving early childhood education the committee will vote on Thursday.

Another bill would require a child to be 5 years old by Sept. 1 of the school year in order to enroll in kindergarten.

Another bill would establish the Department of Early Childhood. The new department would transfer some responsibilities of the Department of Education, Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Families to the new department.

A dedicated group of Wayne parents have been fighting for full-day kindergarten for years, but the matter recently became a hot-button issue.

Residents voted full-day kindergarten down in November, but the Board of Education voted to fund the $2.1 million program this year. Because residents voted down the referendum, the district will have to make budget cuts to implement the program.

A committee has been examining ways to bring full-day kindergarten to Ridgewood, but the district does not have the $930,000 to implement it this year. Nearly three-fourths of parents who took a survey online said they were in favor of bringing full-day kindergarten to the district. More than half of respondents said they would be in favor of raising taxes to fund the program.