With Anthony Wayne Local Schools’ half-day kindergarten enrollment at its lowest level yet, and classroom space now available, Superintendent Kevin Herman is pitching the idea of an all-day, every day kindergarten program beginning in August 2027.
On Monday, Oct. 19 at 1p.m. and 6 p.m., Herman is inviting parents, grandparents and anyone interested in finding out more to attend public sessions at the Central Administrative Office, 9565 Bucher Rd. in Whitehouse.
“We want them to ask questions and provide feedback. We are asking parents that are not only going to have a kindergartener next year, but those who might be interested in the future,” Herman said. “If we get support from the community, we will work on offering this for the 2027-28 school year.”
Anthony Wayne is one of the few area districts that doesn’t offer full-day kindergarten. For the past decade, Anthony Wayne has offered half-day kindergarten with morning and afternoon sessions. Prior to that, the district used a Blue and White system to provide every other day full-day kindergarten, but that created scheduling issues for families, especially when there was a school delay or weather closure.
Several years ago, after hearing requests for all-day, every day kindergarten, the district sought bond funding for expanding buildings to accommodate that request – along with other building improvements– but that failed at the ballot box.
In the meantime, overall enrollment has decreased, Herman told the board. Kindergarten enrollment is at its lowest yet, with just 171 in the half-day program, down from the 12-year average of 210.
The enrollment decline has opened up space in the primary buildings. Monclova Primary, originally built for 700 students, currently has 483; Whitehouse, built for 500, has 413; and Waterville has 430 students in a building designed for about 700.
“We have room in our buildings that we did not have several years ago. We want to utilize those classrooms and provide an opportunity that we believe is good for our community,” Herman said.
Parents have said they want all-day kindergarten for a number of reasons, including convenience, cost and continuity, he noted.
instead of paying for kindergarten with a child care or private school, students can attend full days in Anthony Wayne Local Schools at no additional cost. Shuttling children between half-day kindergarten and home or other childcare can be inconvenient for families. And getting students started in the district for full days from the start provides a continuity in instruction with less transitions between home, bus and home or another facility – and that’s a positive, he said.
“Our half-day program is incredible, with strong instructors who follow the state standards closely. But this is an opportunity for additional play, social development and exploration – all the things that are important for kindergarten students. It’s going to allow us to develop a program that not only follows state standards but provides developmentally-appropriate content for students to allow them to progress in other areas as well,” Herman said.
He also noted that the all-day schedule will allow more time for developing relationships.
“It allows teachers to get to know the students and their strengths and weaknesses, and have more opportunity to provide intervention if needed,” he said. “In the life of a child, a couple months in child development is years and years for us. They are learning so much and doing new things every day. We want to be able to expand on some opportunities and be able to support them as they learn more in depth and find their own interests.”
Having additional time in the classroom to work on reading and math will prepare students for first grade, while spending more time exploring and playing with other students will provide valuable social skills, he added.
While the district will need to hire some additional teachers, there will be some savings in no longer needing to provide mid-day transportation.
“We think it’s an investment that will pay off in the long run,” he said. “If I didn’t feel all-day kindergarten was best for our students, we wouldn’t be pursuing this. We’ve made it a focus of ours to listen to the community and to provide services to students and parents. We truly believe that being able to offer this is one of the biggest opportunities.”
For information on the sessions, or to provide feedback outside of attending on Oct. 19, email [email protected].
