At Beehive Science and Technology Academy, students in Kennedy Wallin’s kindergarten class are learning how to do school.
On Friday they were just two days into the academic year so they were still learning how to navigate the halls of the school, figure out what’s involved in going through the lunch line and where they go for recess. They were also learning robotics.
Wallin’s students are active learners and her planned lessons move along at an intentionally brisk pace to cover certain learning objectives before moving on to a different lesson or activity.
“We’re maybe sitting 15 minutes at the most before we’re up and doing other work,” said Wallin.
Wallin is one of three kindergarten teachers at Beehive Academy, which added its elementary school program in August 2022.
To start, Beehive offered what the academy’s executive director Hanifi Oguz described as a hybrid program, meaning parents could select between their child attending a half-day kindergarten program or a full day of instruction at the public charter school in Sandy.
Nearly all of the school’s families have elected for their children to attend full-day kindergarten, although a half-day option is still available. “We try to explain the benefits of the full day but it is important to give parents options,” he said.
That trend is on track with public school kindergarten enrollment statewide.
Among Utah’s public charter schools, 40 of 96 schools reported 95% to 100% of kindergarteners opted for full-day instruction, according to the Utah State Board of Education.
Meanwhile, 27 of 41 school districts have reported that 95% to 100% of kindergartners attended full-day kindergarten during the 2023-2024 school year. Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year, which is just getting underway, will not be available until after the annual Oct. 1 headcount.
Before the passage of HB477 in 2023, 1 in 3 kindergarteners were involved in a full-day option.
The bill made full-day kindergarten available for all school districts and public charter schools. It also requires local education agencies to provide optional half-day kindergarten. The legislation amended state funding formulas related to kindergarten to reflect a full-day length of a kindergarten class.
More than 700 kindergarten classrooms were added statewide following the change in the law and funding.
“We are excited to see more families being able to access the full-day option. It comes with both academic and social benefits,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson in a statement.
Data shows that students enrolled in full-day kindergarten are less likely to need academic interventions in later grades, a Utah State Board of Education press release states.
Research by the Utah Educational Policy Center showed a greater proportion of full-day kindergarten students reached reading benchmarks on Acadience Reading compared to half-day kindergarten peers. Acadience Reading is a universal screening and monitoring assessment.
The study also found a greater proportion of full-day kindergarten students who are English learners, from low-income backgrounds and who have disabilities scored at or above Acadience Reading benchmarks compared to matched half-day kindergarten peers.
Christine Elegante, K-3 literacy specialist for the Utah State Board of Education, said some parents worry that their children are not ready for a full-day kindergarten program.
“I really, truly believe that as far as parent preference goes, those parents that are willing to give it a try and let their kids try, the kids are doing really well in those programs,” she said.
Elegante taught first grade and acknowledges that kids have to adjust to being in school all day.
“But once they give them a month or two, at least six weeks, those kids are usually doing really well,” she said.
“Those who have tried it out, the majority of them have found that their kids actually are ready and they’re thriving.”
Wallin said full-day kindergarten gives students set curriculum time and opportunities for play and socializing.
“They’re going to get that 50 minutes of literacy, math, science, because we’re a STEM school, we teach science every day. They get those specialty classes for 50 minutes. They’re having lunch and two recesses. They’re getting play time. They’re getting to be able to be kids but still get that set curriculum time. So I find it’s beneficial for academic, social-emotional, everything,” she said.
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STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math.
Wallin said the longer school day helps her meet the diverse learning needs of her students. Some come to kindergarten already reading. Others have not been in a preschool or child care setting so this is the first time they are part of a community of learners.
Elegante said that seemingly all young learners have experience with some form of technology.
“They are masters with iPads. They are masters with cellphones. They are used to being plugged in and entertained all day long, right? So these cute kids come into kindergarten, and those teachers have a huge task of really structuring the day in a way that, you know, keeps everything moving quickly, keeps kids engaged and moving from one thing to the next thing the next thing, because that’s what kids these days need,” said Elegante.
