SALT LAKE CITY — More children could be attending full-day kindergarten after lawmakers gave an early endorsement of two draft bills that would expand kindergarten offerings in Utah schools.

Both bills were adopted as committee bills by the Education Interim Committee on Thursday.

One bill would provide money for schools to administer an optional all-day kindergarten program for students who need extra help. Those could include students who perform poorly on entry assessments, students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and other "at-risk" populations.

The draft bill calls for $17.5 million in ongoing money to be distributed to schools on a competitive basis.

Bill sponsor Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, said extending the option of full-day kindergarten to struggling students will be especially helpful as they learn foundational principles in their early years.

"To the extent that we can help by lifting these students to get them at level with their peers by the time they start first grade, it will not only assist the students, it's going to benefit the teachers as well," Snow said.

Full-day kindergarten is also a legislative focus for the Utah State Board of Education, which prioritized the initiative second only to funding for student enrollment growth and an increase to the weighted pupil unit, Utah's system of equalized student funding.

Syd Dickson, deputy superintendent at the Utah State Office of Education, said places where full-day kindergarten is offered in Utah have shown academic benefits that should be expanded to other schools and students.

"We're very confident about what's happening in Utah and want to scale that up and replicate it so all students who need these services are getting those services," Dickson said.

Fee for full-day kindergarten

The Education Interim Committee also gave early approval to a draft bill that would allow schools to charge a fee for families who wish to enroll their students in full-day kindergarten. The money would be used to pay teachers for the extra hours of instruction.

But the bill as it is currently drafted ensures that "no student is denied the opportunity to participate in the supplemental hours because of an inability to pay."

It's not yet clear how much families would be required to pay for the program, or how those services would be administered to families who can't afford it.

Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, said the incremental cost to districts would be "relatively small" because most of the capital facilities already exist, and teachers are already enrolled in health benefits. He also said it would not conflict with Snow's bill, should both be approved during the 2016 legislative session.

"It would really just be the incremental hours of pay that goes to that kindergarten teacher to offer these services," Eliason said. "It's a great step in the direction of expanding kindergarten to all students."

Worthwhile investment?

Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, said he would support a statewide implementation of full-day kindergarten. Currently, Utah enrolls roughly 50,000 kindergarteners, and a statewide full-day kindergarten program would cost about $68 million to implement, according to legislative fiscal analysts.

But it's a worthwhile investment, according to Dabakis.

"I don't think we ought to leave this up to the districts. I think the evidence is there; it's overwhelming," he said. "Full-day kindergarten has tremendous bang for the buck."

Both bills await further consideration as the Legislature convenes in January.

Related topics