Free daycare?! How insulting to parents, Franz!
Yeeeeears before I had children, I attended a school board meeting. A mother from Beasly was frustrated. She and her husband decided that one of them would stay at home to raise their children. This prevented them from being able to afford full day Kindergarten. At the time, the school was overcrowded and her child - half day Kindergarten - attended class IN A HALLWAY. Sooo many distractions. How was that child to receive the same quality education as their full day counterparts who were allocated a traditional classroom because their families were paying tuition? Their family felt as if they were being punished for their choice.

Additional services at no additional cost, Stoner?! Something for nothing? Do tell us how this is accomplished. Mehlville School District provides the best bang for the buck. The administration has demonstrated FOR DECADES that they are OVERWHELMINGLY THRIFTY. They haven't had an increase for over 30 years DURING BETTER ECONOMIC TIMES. Whose fault is that? Yes, the voters! Do tell how you can squeeze EVEN more from a nickel.

For every single tax dollar spent on early childhood education, $4-$12 dollars are saved in the future, even after adjusting for inflation. You would be hard pressed to find a more effective policy to place public investment. To not do it cost taxpayers more money in the long run.

Two issues bug me about this article. It comes across as the goal to incorporate free full day kindergarten is equal to providing child care to the board. Maybe before you incorporate this benefit, you need to evaluate what the districts kindgergarten goals are? It's not much of a benefit if they aren't truly learning (to me - a middle class citizen). The other comment I will leave -- it seems wrong to put in technology goals AND "yet support long-term cost reduction" -- technology is ever changing and cost REDUCTION doesn't seem logical to me.

Absolutely! Perhaps Franz and Stoner need to review the definition of OXYMORON.

Once again, Franz is reinforcing his comment that IT'S NOT ABOUT THE KIDS.
https://www.facebook.com/MCT4Mehlville#!/MCT4Mehlville

Wow!!!! Free daycare Franz! I am a single mother of two trying to provide the best I can in a community that is exceptional for their upbringing. As a mother of a kindergartner in your district this very moment...I struggle to keep him in full-day. It is where he needs to be! With children his own age, learning to interact outside of a "daycare" or "home" environment. Please Franz...think about the children's best interests!

Kudos to the MSD Board for making Tuition Free Full Day Kindergarten a short term priority!
Mr. Franz and Mr. Stoner, I invite you, and would be more than happy to accompany you, on a tour of not only the Kindergarten classrooms at Wohlwend, but the Early Childhood classrooms at JCECC. What occurs in these classrooms is anything but what you would characterize as "daycare". Additinoally, to get a real feel for what goes on in these classrooms on a daily basis, how about volunteering to help during the morning or afternoon for a few weeks. This would be a wonderful opportunity for you to gather meaningful information to assist you in making well informed decisions on behalf of the district and the children it serves.

You statements are insulting to our staff and parents. Lesson plans are created and executed based on state and district standards to foster early literacy, math, science, technology etc. There is a schedule that is followed each day which does not involve just playing with toys, eating snack, and taking a nap.

Lastly, services, buildings, and technology cost money. That is a fact, so at some point we do need to ask the tax payers for more money. I think that yes, there are alot of people in the district that live on fixed incomes and are fearful of tax increases, but if the Board and Administration is transparent and shows accountability for the funds they are given (builds trust in the community) this will go a long way.

Free full-day kindergarten is similar to any preventative measure. Insurance companies pay for preventative measures because it saves them money. It's a sound financial goal to invest in something that will have such an enormous return on that investment within 10 years. I know people on fixed incomes are strapped, but we cannot continually use short fixes to fix things. Investments are just that. If there is anything in the world that is worthy of our monies at this time. It's OUR CHILDREN. They are the only resource that we are completely sure will still be our resource in 20 years.

In case in wasn't clear. I do support Free full-day kindergarten. I just didn't like the way it was characterized.

Contact info and scheduled meeting dates listed here
http://board-of-educati.mehlvilleschooldistrict.com/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?&gid=2334127&sessionid=ff39c9ad4c085f95796aea22a8289572&t=

Not all money is created equal. Tax money that is collected for capital gains projects (like construction of tennis courts) can't be used for operations (like full-day Kindergarten, other than possible related construction.)

Regardless, both programs have their merits. Extra-curricular activities are proven to improve graduation rates, as does Early Childhood Education. Which means the graduates will make more money collectively, which means they will put more money back into the economy collectively, which makes programs like these wise investments of a community, collectively.

Compared to what? Compared to lower graduation rates. Compared to lower productivity. Compared to lower living standards and property values for everyone.

Do Tennis Courts and Full-Day Kindergarten alone make it all work? Nope. It's just a more complete picture for a an overall better education for the children of this community.

Biting tongue. SItting on hands. Seriously. @@

Dan who?

Here is the link to Mehlville's curriculum-based kindergarten handbook. http://goo.gl/yUXpj - Daycare? What a disgrace.

From what I understand full-day kindergarten, as it is currently constructed, is like daycare. I was told the curriculum is the same as half-day. If Mehlville goes to a full-day kindergarten will the curriculum change? Will the additional time at school be focused on reading and math? If that is not the case I hope they do not go to full day for everyone.

Thank you, I didn't go to the district site. I was going by what I was told by teacher or principal. I am glad they were wrong.

I don't think they think they are wrong. :) The reality is the full day kids don't just eat, play and nap during the extra 3 hours they are in attendance. Recess and lunch do take up about 45 minutes of it, but the rest of the time, they are learning. I think that educators want you to feel like your kid isn't getting shortchanged because you aren't paying tuition so they downplay the value of the full day program. That's a problem because now people don't understand why it's important. For every parent who would prefer a half day, there's probably one who wishes they could afford the full day. A tuition free full day kindergarten has value almost beyond measure.

What is amazing to me is that some members of the board, by even questioning having free full day kindergarten, seem to be saying "It's OK for our students to start 1st grade off already behind their peers in other districts." Seriously, if only 4 districts in the whole state do not offer free full day kindergarten, then obviously others have seen the benefits and have been able to manage the costs. Why is this even a question, it should have been in place years ago

I live in the Mehlville school district, and I for one, would never pay Mehville for a full day Kindergarten. The quotes in this article from the board are appalling. Free Day Care? Parents, what day care center are you aware of that still takes Kindergarteners? None that I am aware of. Folks, spend your hard earned money wisely on a private education, for at least Kindergarten year. Any private institution, Catholic, Lutheran, etc, will guarantee that your children receive a full day of education, as opposed to babysitting.

I just want to say that the board member who equated full-day kindergarten to "free day care" does not speak for the majority of the Mehlville Board of Education. We have long recognized the advantages of early childhood education, including full-day kindergarten. Unfortunately, because of the convoluted state funding formula, Mehlville has been handicapped financially by not being funded at the same level as other school districts in the state. As the new state formula is being implemented, we will be on more equal footing with the 520 school districts who do offer full-day kindergarten. To the individual who advised people to enroll their kids in private education, I will put up our curriculum and especially our highly-qualified staff against any private school in the area. In Mehlville, we make every dollar count. We are a leader in providing individualized education plans designed to meet the needs of our students. Our district has been recognized nationally for providing "the best bang for the buck" in Missouri, and while we spend $2000 less per child than the state average (with only 10 districts spending less than we do), we have the 6th highest graduation rate in the state.

Both of my children went through full day kindergarten in two different schools (due to a move) in the Mehlville school district. We found the program at both schools to be well planned, in step with current teaching methodologies, challenging, and certainly preparatory for first grade and beyond. Our children's teachers were top notch, caring and highly qualified. We were glad we paid for this enriching experience and our children continue to do well in school to this day. Ms. Goebels, you clearly need to become more well informed about our schools, and specifically about our excellent kindergarten program, before you say something so negative about our district. You owe our excellent teaching staff an apology.

I do NOT want mandatory, full-day kindergarten for my children. Full-day is not right for every child or every family. I voted against the last bond issue because it included funding for full-day and if it comes up again on the ballot, I will vote against it -- and the Board Members who support it -- again and again. I respect the opinions and wishes of the parents who want it, but the reality is that those parents DO have a choice -- to pay for full-day kindergarten. If the district makes it mandatory, you will be taking away MY choice for MY child and that's not right and it's certainly not democratic.

The district's own survey confirms that more than half of our district does NOT believe full-day kindergarten is crucial to the district's future success. When voters were asked about the value they place on "Tuition free, full-day kindergarten" this is how they answered:
53% - not important or neutral
45% - important or very important

Please respect the voter's wishes and the wishes of ALL parents on this issue. It's the right and fair thing to do.

Full Day Kindergarten is going to be a wonderful development for the Mehlville School District and the students it serves. The educational, social, and economic benefits to the area will be far reaching.
I would encourage others that post to be respectful of the opinions of others in their responses. Yes, we have freedom of speech, but that does not mean that you should check your manners at the door (we need to be good examples for our children). I would also encourage individuals responding to post to check their facts.
There is an abundnce of respected peer reviewed data and research that supports full day Kindergarten. Infact, if I had the influence in this District I would like to see Early Childhood made available on a sliding fee scale. There are so many at risk children in this district that would really benefit from access to Early Childhood Services.
Lastly, please re-check your District survey figures and read up on interpreting and analyzing survey results. I have been in the community and on the front lines with educators and parents their voices are loud and clear in regards to the desire to have Full Day Kindergarten in the District.

Christina, please be direct in explaining why you think I misinterpreted the district's survey data.

Question #4 of the District's survey asks:
When considering the stability and future direction of the Mehlville School District,
the District looks to its community's values to help choose and shape the programs that require funding. Going forward, which general areas are most important to you and would most likely gain your future support?

Tuition-free full-day kindergarten:

Very Important 25%
Important 22%

Neutral 22%
Not Important 31%

Perhapys you're referring to question number three of the survey, which yields a reverse result. However, that question includes the issue of Early Childhood Expansion, which is not a part of this debate.

.

I believe Brenda is working professionally with these posts as a PR Consultant for Lutheran Elementary Schools Association. "Media Coordinator - Outside Consultant at Lutheran Elementary School Assocation"

Brenda,

First of all my comment regarding the Early Childhood program is purely my opinion as I have stated many times in public that it is my hope that the Mehlville School District goes even further than provide free full day Kindergarten and provides Early Childhood Services on a free or sliding fee basis. There are so many underserved Children in our district.
Second, one must consider the size and diversity of the survey sample in relation to the represented population as well as the composition and in some cases the order of the questions.
In regards to the survey results and the figures your represented,
Very Important 25%
Important 22%
- it is clear that 47% +/- a margin of error support free full day.
Neutral 22%
- it is not appropriate to lump the "Neutral" respondents in with "Not Important". Those respondents that selected neutral may not be opposed to free full day Kindergarten, but did not feel comfortable in checking important or very important as they required additional information to make an informed decision or their priorities and focus of interest due to their current life circumstances (i.e. students in high school or a student attending a middle school in need of repair) are in other areas.
Not Important 31% - this is a clear objection.
This is my final word on this. I support Dr. Knost and the Board in this action and thank them for their service to the students of this district.

Regards,
Christina

Christina, I did not state that voters who selected "neutral" are opposed to full-day kindergarten. If you re-read my comment, you will see that I printed the survey's question word for word. The question and corresponding results speak for themselves.

We can all twist the data any way we like to suit our viewpoints and I have no desire to change your mind on this issue.

But like you or any parent, I have an obligation to speak my conscience on issues that affect my children and this one does.

One report frequently cited by those in education research as it is a well-controlled national analysis of data, as well as a statewide study, is from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. This study shows the following (I've taken a direct quote from the study and put the link to it below):

"Evidence was gathered supporting the following areas: attendance; academic
achievement, including grade retention and special education referral; social and behavioral effects; and effects on disadvantaged students.
On the issue of attendance, findings are inconclusive. The studies involving academic achievement, grade retention, special education referrals, and social and behavioral effects generally support the effectiveness of full day over half day programs. Disadvantaged students in full day kindergarten were also found to experience greater academic benefits than students in half day programs, although the magnitude of these greater benefits is again inconclusive. The national research suggests that there are no negative outcomes commonly associated with full day kindergarten."

Clearly there are not any significant negative affects, and many positives associated with full day kindergarten.

You can read the full report here: http://ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/FDK_report_final.pdf

For another interesting study, you can read about how the cost of full day kindergarten was offset to a great deal by the reduction in mid-day bus runs. This study also shows a decline in the number of students requiring special education services after the institution of full day kindergarten. http://www.northjersey.com/news/116899318_BOE_announces_benefits_of_full-day_kindergarten.html

Does preshool matter? Overwhelmingly yes, and here is the reason why from the brilliant Jonah Lehrer. http://m.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/does-preschool-matter/