Wareham's kindergarten students will attend school for a full day rather than a half day beginning next year at no cost to parents.

The School Committee approved the change at its Wednesday, May 9, meeting following a presentation by a study committee charged with examining the district's kindergarten program.

Currently, the district's half-day kindergarten program is free of charge and parents who opt to send their kindergarteners to school for a full day must pay tuition. Tuition is based on family income, but can range from just over $300 to more than $3,500.

The decision to offer free-of-charge, full-day kindergarten was made after the study committee got an overwhelming positive response from parents and learned that, due to increased grant and state funding associated with full-day kindergarten, the district would not have to find funding for the program.

"Tuition has become a huge factor for many of our families" who may want to send their children to full-day kindergarten, but cannot afford to pay, said Janice Rotella, Wareham Public Schools Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

A $30,000 state grant, earmarked for kindergarten programs, provided funding for the study and will fund the instructional materials and supplies needed for additional full-day kindergarten classrooms.

Wareham Public Schools will also see an increase in state "Chapter 70" school funding because more full-day students will be added to the district's roster. The state uses the number of enrolled students to determine how much it doles out in “Chapter 70” aid. The district receives half the funding for half-day kindergarten students. It also receives half the funding for full-day kindergarteners whose parents must pay tuition.

Though the district will need two additional teachers to teach full-day kindergarten, the cost of their salaries is offset by the fact that the district will no longer pay for half-day transportation, by an increase in a kindergarten grant the district currently receives, and in the increased Chapter 70 funding, explained Ana Miranda, Director of Operations and Finance.

Rotella explained that students who attend full-day kindergarten are generally better prepared for first grade and beyond. She noted that teachers who spoke with the study committee said that there is not enough time in the half-day program to fit in all the necessary instruction and that it is difficult to address the needs of students who may need extra help.

The study committee, which consisted of administrators, teachers, and parents, reviewed the estimated costs of the change and surveyed parents whose children currently attend the district's preschool program, parents whose children will attend kindergarten next year, parents of current kindergarten students, and parents of current first-graders.

Among the positive comments, a parent wrote: “I feel full-day kindergarten would help the children reach their learning goals and give more time for them to become well established in grade school.”

Some parents surveyed were concerned about the transition to kindergarten, however.

“I love the idea of full-day kindergarten for children. I strongly believe that academics are important along with social development, and a full-day option provides this,” one parent wrote, adding: “I do feel as though full and half days should be an option because some children are not ready. They may have not been exposed to preschool and it's a scary transition.”

Parents who are concerned about the transition may choose to opt their child out of the full-day program and instead dismiss their child daily at the half-day hour, Rotella told the School Committee. But, district transportation from school back home will not be provided.

The School Committee unanimously approved the change.

“It's expensive to send your child to full-day kindergarten,” said School Committee member Rhonda Veugen, who served on the study committee and is the mother of a kindergarten student. “And this reduces that financial burden.”