Efforts by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton to implement universal preschool in 2015 have been downgraded for the 2016 Legislative session, but there is little doubt among educators that preschool is becoming more of a necessity as expectations for kindergartners rise.
Although the state-funded preschool program promoted by Dayton has failed to gain the necessary traction, Annandale Community Education will offer a five-day preschool option for the first time next fall.
That concept has been popular at the local level, perhaps in part because statewide all-day kindergarten is now in its second year.
"We threw it out there, just kind of taking a survey to see if anyone really wanted it, not realizing it would be such a hot ticket," said Community Education Director Tiffany Grube, who brought the five-day preschool idea along with her from her previous position in the Westonka schools. "That class is full."
Annandale’s five-day course will consist of 2.5-hour sessions each morning.
While getting students into some sort of early learning class is beneficial, Grube said that pushing for longer days like those included in Dayton’s 2015 proposal would actually turn out to be counterproductive.
"The philosophy here as educators is we feel that the more we can get them in the door for 2.5 hours - that is essential," Grube said. "But I do not feel that putting them in all-day preschool is at all where we need to be moving in the state. I don’t think that’s necessary, because they still need to have time to be a child and to socialize and to play and just have down time."
Grube and Angel LeMieux, a Kindergarten Connection teacher for 4- and 5-year-olds, said longer days would add little to the learning time for children, because much of the extra time would be filled with two meals and a rest period.
"The way I read it, last year, (Dayton) wanted the schools to do five or 5.5 hours a day. That is hardly even possible for a preschooler at that age," said Grube. "You have to think of the age they’re at. Are they really ready to be here that long?"
LeMieux pointed out that longer days and having preschool every day would also necessitate a large increase in staff and space.
"If we started doing that, we would only be able to service half of our students," said LeMieux. "I have three classes, so I have 54-plus students. If we went to 5.5 hours or six hours a day, I could only teach 18."
Current options
The Annandale district currently has a range of preschool options that cater to the needs of various family situations.
While the new five-day class for 2016-17 was one of the most sought-after offerings, the two-day Tuesday-Thursday course was the second-most popular. Grube said it is likely that families choosing the five-day option have two working parents with children in daycare, while the two-day offering seems to be more popular with families where there is a stay-at-home or part-time working parent.
"In that case two days fits their schedule, and that’s great because kids are at home with their parents and they’re able to do things with them at home," said Grube. "It all depends on the family, what they’re looking for and what they want."
Bridging the gap between two-day and five-day classes are a three-day option on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and a four-day afternoon class.
"What we’re finding is parents are wanting to get their kids into preschool as soon as they can," said Grube. "The current three-day class is filled. That’s showing us that many parents want their kids here frequently."
Increasing importance
While older generations may have spent most of kindergarten learning their letters and how to hold a pencil properly – or perhaps may not have even attended kindergarten at all – those basic skills are now being primarily addressed in preschool.
"We’re building that foundation which all other learning builds upon," said LeMieux. "That’s where preschool is now. It used to be kindergarten. That used to be the first foundation. Now it is preschool. We’re seeing it as a necessity as they’re getting ready to go on to further grades."
An example of higher expectations for kindergartners is that while they used to focus on learning letters, they now must know 42 words by sight at the end of the year.
And because academic standards are higher, teachers are seeing the need for young students to be comfortable with their surroundings, familiar with following multi-step directions and comfortable socially from the outset of the kindergarten year.
"The teachers always say if they have those skills they’re going to be ahead in kindergarten because they’ll be teachable," said Grube. "Kids coming in without that classroom experience are possibly already just a little behind because they haven’t been in the school. They haven’t been taught how to line up, sit in a circle, work with their handwriting, etc."
Annandale’s programs
There are currently 91 students enrolled in Annandale’s Kindergarten Connection program. The Bright Beginnings level for ages 3 and 4 has 51 students registered.
Other preschoolers are enrolled in additional local programs like Head Start, Precious Gifts and Learning Tree.
The district expects to have around 120 students in next fall’s kindergarten class, so most students will have had some preschool experience.
Prior to the preschool level, Community Education staff offer student screening services and various Early Childhood Family Education classes and activities.
"We want kids to love school, to get them here and get them to see that school can be a fun place, not a scary place," said LeMieux.
Grube said a big focus of those early activities is on fine motor skills. Many children, she said, come in with under-developed motor skills because of modern tendencies.
"We see a lot of kids that come that don’t have the muscles, because they’re so busy on their technology. They’re not playing in trees like they used to and doing those sorts of things," she said. "So we encourage parents to get out the playdough and paint and get outside and play, because it is important for these kids, at that age, to build those skills in themselves and their bodies."
Because the universal state-funded preschool model has yet to gain full acceptance, parents must continue to balance the cost of preschool with its benefits. But in light of all-day kindergarten, preschool is becoming more crucial.
"It is an investment parents are making, because you have to pay for preschool," said Grube. "You look at it as a parent, and it’s an investment you’re putting into your child. It’s probably the best investment you can put into your child because it is definitely going to make them ready for the building blocks of school. It’s well worth it."