Mitchem Says Valley View Needs All-Day Kindergarten

An all-day kindergarten program in the Valley View School District would be ideal for Jim Mitchem's plans to make the district one of the best in the state.

The echoed that need during one of his two on his plan for the district last week.

Mitchem has been pushing for an all-day kindergarten program since at least May, when the district asked residents to in all-day kindergarten. According to a committee, 2,259 people responded to the survey, with 85 percent saying it would be a good idea for Valley View to offer the program.

Parents weren't too keen on paying a $150 per month fee for the program. But Mitchem said there are key points in a students' career that could make or break their chances of succeeding—one of those is third grade. 

But getting kids ready for third grade means meeting them in kindergarten, when some kids enter the district significantly behind.

"The achievement gap is largest before kids enter that door (to kindergarten)," Mitchem said. "The pressure is going to be on kindergarten teachers. Now, asking kindergarten teachers to close that gap with two and a half hours a day is unfair and that is why we need all-day kindergarten.

Having an all-day kindergarten program in place, Mitchem said, would significantly boost the district's chances of meeting his goal of having third grade students ready for a third grade curriculum. 

Children who attend full-day kindergarten have an academic advantage over those who do not, he said. An all-day program could help close the achievement gap during the critical first few years of school, saving the district money on interventions for struggling students down the road, Mitchem said.

The program would be part of Mitchem’s efforts to shift district resources toward grades K-3, helping students with achievement delays early on in their academic careers rather than later.

“Obviously, the costs associated with this would be great,” Mitchem said. 

Mitchem has the district's board support, too. 

The next step for the all-day kindergarten committee is to bring Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Gary Grizaffi on board to explore the costs associated with the program. The committee is also looking to recruit parents, community members and private school representatives to help continue its work.

If the district does add a full-day option, that doesn’t mean its current kindergarten program will disappear. In Illinois, school districts that offer full-day kindergarten must continue to offer a half-day program as an alternative for parents who do not wish to send their kindergartners to school full time.

Romeoville Patch Editor Shannon Antinori contributed to this report.