Thirty Additional Schools Will Have Full-Day Kindergarten this Year

Full-day kindergarten will be expanded for the 2006-2007 school year to all 123 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) elementary schools with a kindergarten program—one year ahead of schedule. Funding for the expansion is part of the $1.85 billion MCPS FY 2007 Operating Budget.

The full-day kindergarten initiative is part of the Early Success Performance Plan begun in 2000 to give kindergartners a strong start and help close the gaps in student achievement by race, ethnicity, and poverty.

Six years ago, MCPS implemented the Early Success initiative, which includes a curriculum with clear standards, extensive teacher training, and reduced class size, as well as a full-day program of six hours and 15 minutes. Full-day kindergarten with reduced class sizes was first introduced in schools with the highest levels of poverty.

The comprehensive changes in the kindergarten program have produced significant gains in student performance. For example, in 2001, only 38 percent of kindergartners were reading simple text. Today, 81 percent go on to Grade 1 reading and ready for the next stages of learning.

With the opening of four new elementary schools this year, MCPS has a total of 129 elementary schools. Six of these schools serve only students in grades 3 through 5. The addition of 30 elementary schools receiving full-day kindergarten this year anticipates the state mandate for full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools throughout Maryland by the 2007-2008 school year.

Full-day kindergarten will be added this year at the following MCPS elementary schools:
Belmont, Bethesda, Beverly Farms, Bradley Hills, Burtonsville, Carderock Springs, Cashell, Cedar Grove, Clarksburg, College Gardens, Cold Spring, Darnestown, DuFief, Fallsmead, Farmland, Great Seneca Creek, Jones Lane, Lakewood, Little Bennett, Luxmanor, Spark M. Matsunaga, Roscoe R. Nix, Potomac, Sargent Shriver, Seven Locks, Somerset, Westbrook, Wood Acres, Woodfield and Wyngate.