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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law requiring school districts to
establish a full-day kindergarten program within the next four
years. Under the law, every district must also establish a
half-day program that is developmentally appropriate and
provides opportunities for play-based learning.
Proponents point to research that indicates that children’s
early reading skills are enhanced with additional instruction
time.
"Getting substantive, consistent full-day kindergarten can be
the foundation for our kids looking to build good educational
experiences and ultimately steady, well-paying careers,” state
Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, said in a statement.
The
legislation also establishes the Full Day Kindergarten Task
Force, which will conduct a statewide audit to inform the
planning and implementation of full-day kindergarten programs.
Alison Maley, Government and Public Relations director with the
Illinois Principals Association, said the law could be taxing on
some school districts.
“One of the major concerns that we had was there was no funding
allotted for this and not only will some districts need
additional space, they will need additional teachers,” Maley
said.
Bryan Soady, associate executive director of Governmental
Relations with the Illinois Association of School Boards, said
there have been local referendums on this proposal that have
been defeated.
“This is a mandate that we think will require volunteer, elected
school boards to force this on taxpayers who have stated they
don’t want it,” Soady told The Center Square.
Districts that currently do not offer a full-day program can
apply for a waiver to extend the implementation date up to two
years past the 2027-2028 school years if they meet certain
criteria.
The majority of states require school districts to offer either
full- or half-day kindergarten, however less than half actually
mandate student attendance. California recently proposed
legislation that would require kindergarten enrollment and for
days to be longer than four hours, but the bill was vetoed in
September 2022 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cited cost as a factor.
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