Why the richest county in the nation doesn’t have full day kindergarten. Loudoun county continues to grow at a rapid rate, doubling the number of schools in the last 15 years from 44 to 88. The vast majority of students in the county don’t have full day kindergarten for two simple reasons, space and money. Kindergarten students cannot be placed in trailers and must have bathroom facilities in their classrooms. Schools in Loudoun are very crowded. There simply aren’t the additional classrooms that would be required for all day kindergarten, and there isn’t the money either without raising property taxes. With only one-third of families having school aged children, and no evidence that full day kindergarten matters in the long run, raising taxes to pay for it is a tough sell. More on the story, here.
Why the Richest County in the Nation Doesn’t Have Full Day Kindergarten
written by Jeanine Martin
September 28, 2015
5 comments
Jeanine Martin
Also known as Lovettsville Lady, I am a Republican activist in the wilds of western Loudoun County.
5 comments
With the exception of ESL learners, FDK advantages fade completely by 3rd grade. As others stated, FDK is at its core taxpayer subsidized daycare.
Loudoun graduates have done quite well without FDK and, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The part of FDK that really bothers me is that it is money down the drain. Our local LCPS is always saying it needs money for this thing or that thing. Well then, don’t piddle money away on FDK. Put the funds to something useful that will actually help kids.
Also, those in favor of FDK completely discount those parents who don’t want their 5 year olds shipped off for a full day. The 1/2 day kindergarten is as much a transition for the kids as it is moms and dads. It is important to recognize the feelings of those who prefer their children spend more time with mom (and dad too).
But, as Mr. Erickson pointed out, if parents are willing to pay for FDK then that seems like a fine proposal.
The call for full day kindergarten is merely a desire for free childcare. Loudoun schools and do fine with current resources. First graders arrive well-prepared to take on the challenges of full-day coursework. Kindergarten is a transitional period for a child to go from the family nest setting to te structure of a school environment. I applaud the prudent and thrifty use of the tax dollar to ease kids to the full-day transition while spreading the teacher salaries over multiple kids while maintaining an academic level that is a great starting point for first grade.
What republicans and conservatives should see this ploy as is an opportunity to grow government and school-cost structure without meaningful benefit. While the school system is leaving out the importance of learning practical skills , Loudoun’s kids already are some of the top academically. If the measuring stick I to be the graduating senior, I’d say they are getting a fine start in the current kindergarten system.
Sounds like an interesting proposal, but where are you going to put the kids? There is literally no room left in the schools. You would have to either build brand new elementary schools all over the county, or you would have to cut the number of classrooms available for all the other grades to make room for the full day kindergarten classes. That means bigger class sizes for all the other kids, and as soon as you mention that, everyone’s head explodes.
I don’t think we can charge for FDK here in Virginia, it’s a legislative issue.
Seattle has the best way of providing FDK. Unlike unfunded mandates from Comstock and others the city of Seattle has a fee based FDK for those who want to avail themselves of the extra care.
71 dollars a week that’s what it will cost a parent to send a child to FDK if Loudoun follows Seattles example, cheap child care is it not?
The Fees for full day kindergarten (FDK) for school year 2015-16 is $2,840 per year, payable in 10 equal monthly installments of $284, or a lump sum of $2,840, or two equal lump sums of $1,420 each(in Sept. and Feb.). There are no fees for half day kindergarten
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