Superintendent proposes full-day kindergarten
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — If the SAD 1 board of directors agrees with administrators and a sample of school families, youngsters from Castle Hill, Chapman, Mapleton, Presque Isle and Westfield will be attending full-day kindergarten next year.
Most of Maine and Aroostook County are now offering full-day kindergarten, and research supports the idea, said Brian Carpenter, SAD 1 superintendent, recommending it to the school board.
“It is time for us,” Carpenter said, citing studies suggesting that students who go to full-day kindergarten do better in the long-term.
In a poll taken at recent parent-teacher conferences, more than 80 percent of parents in the district support full-day kindergarten.
The change could start next fall, and would come with new teachers and class assistants and some buildings being revamped, with Presque Isle pre-K moving to the alternative education building, Carpenter suggested.
The superintendent will submit a comprehensive plan to the board before a vote early next year.
