Community Corner

Petaluma City Schools Implements Extended Kindergarten

Kindergarteners in the Petaluma City Schools district will spend an hour and a half longer in class when school resumes in August.

Last month, the city’s largest school district finalized plans to offer extended kindergarten, resulting in additional 88 minutes of daily instruction.

Most other districts in the area—Novato, Cotati-Rohnert Park and Old Adobe—already offer a longer day for kindergarteners, saying that research has shown that more time in class gives children a good foundation for academic success. 

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But the move has angered some families, who earlier this year launched a petition urging the district to give parents a choice in deciding whether to participate in the “extended K” option.

Opponents say full-day Kindergarten “developmentally inappropriate, potentially detrimental and not in the best interest of the child.” 

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“We understand that some families prefer the full day for their child and we ask that each school have the option to be half day,” parenting opposing the new schedule wrote in their Change.org petition. They said they were concerned about children's ability to focus for five hours a day, the “potential burnout and extended time away from established family routines.”

Petaluma City Schools Superintendent Steve Bolman defended the district’s decision, saying the overwhelming majority of parents support the change. He added that teachers often feel rushed to cover all the required material in the three and a half hours of instruction, leading to stress for both instructors and students.

“Extended K is one of the most beneficial things we can do to get kids off to good start…and actually less stressful for teachers and for their students who are trying to accomplish everything that is required in 200 minutes a day.”


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