Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Sunday, May 04, 2008
Survey: Most parents want 4-year-old kindergarten
Most parents who attended last week’s Child Development Days said they would enroll their four-year-olds if the Tomah School District were to offer a 4-year-old kindergarten.
The Tomah School Board’s 4-Year-Old Kindergarten Ad-Hoc Study Committee reviewed the survey data Wednesday during a meeting at the school district office.
Eight-five of the 110 parents who brought their children to Child Development Days filled out the surveys. Forty-one responded they would enroll their children regardless if the program were offered in the morning or afternoon. Nineteen said they would enroll if the kindergarten were in the morning, and two said they would enroll if the program were in the afternoon.
Only six parents said answered “no” about enrolling their children. Twelve were undecided, and five left the question blank.
Parents expressed a strong preference for buses that included only four-year-olds. Twenty parents who would put their child on a bus with only four-year-olds also said they would transport their children themselves if four-year-olds were put on a bus with older children.
The committee is deciding whether to recommend a four-year-old kindergarten in time for the 2009-10 school year. Committee members will visit four-year-old kindergartens in Holmen, La Crosse and Eau Claire before meeting again May 21.
There will also be a meeting with daycare providers and preschool representatives Monday, 7 p.m., at Tomah High School. The meeting will address how a 4-year-old kindergarten will impact daycare centers and preschools. The committee is discussing a “community-based” approach that would include existing providers.
Committee member Mary Jo Lanska asked if the district could focus on providing 4-four-year-old kindergarten to children who aren’t being served. She said many parents are satisfied with their existing arrangements and don’t want them disrupted.
“Many are already in excellent programs,” Lanska said. “Maybe we can offer something to the taxpayers that’s more fiscally restrained ... I think people appreciated how efficiently the (everyday) 5-year-old kindergarten was managed.”
Committee member and school board member Mary Ellen Justinger acknowledged the program will carry some costs but said Tomah is one of the lowest-spending school districts in the state.
“If we believe this is good for the school district, we can look the taxpayers in the eyes and swear that we’re not squandering their money,” she said.
All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.