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SALT LAKE CITY — Parents next year might have more options for their children as they prepare to enter kindergarten, whether those kids need more of a challenge or extra help in learning the basics.
That's what Utah lawmakers are hoping will come from a continued focus on early childhood education this year. Two bills advanced Friday that would bring those outcomes closer to reality for Utah families.
Furthest along is a proposal to allow more schools the option of offering extended-day kindergarten to families who choose to enroll. Utah already spends roughly $7.5 million so that 214 schools can offer extended-day kindergarten. But HB42 would spend another $10 million, enough to include another 285 schools, according to bill sponsor Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara.
Snow said the funding would be targeted to help students most in need of academic help. Those students would be identified through an entry test to see whether they're behind in vocabulary and other literacy skills. The program could also be offered to students from low-income families or others at risk of learning struggles.
Schools that already offer extended-day kindergarten find those students more prepared for building on foundational skills, such as reading and math, Snow said.
"The purpose of this bill is recognizing that there is an unmet need, but also recognizing that those students who are afforded the opportunity of this program do extremely well," Snow said.
It's unclear whether the bill will be fully funded, but legislative support for expanding optional extended-day kindergarten has been clear. HB42 passed the House last week in a 58-16 vote, and it passed the Senate Education Committee on Friday with unanimous support.
The proposal also has the support of education leaders, who say that the earlier a struggling student can get help, the more likely they'll be reading on grade level at older ages.
"It's really looking at smaller groups of students providing interventions and very targeted support," said Sydnee Dickson, interim state superintendent of public instruction. "We know early intervention is critical."
The committee also favored a proposal to give some students the chance to start kindergarten earlier than current law allows, so long as they show they're ready for it. Currently, Utah students must be 5 years old by Sept. 2 of the year they enter kindergarten.
SB163, sponsored by Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, would extend that deadline to Dec. 31 of the year they start kindergarten, though parents can still choose to wait to enroll their students the following year. The bill requires that schools administer a readiness assessment to gauge whether interested students are ready to start kindergarten at an earlier age.
"The purpose of this bill is to make sure that we're serving the needs of students and their readiness, and not an arbitrary born-on date," Stephenson said.
The bill limits the number of extra students schools would be able to admit. All school districts and charter schools would be able to admit at least one extra kindergartner, but the younger group can't exceed more than half of 1 percent of the overall kindergarten population in the district or charter school next year. That limit goes up to a full 1 percent in following years.
"This shouldn't be an open door," Stephenson said.
Education leaders said that a younger age requirement for kindergarten is a common request among parents. But one teacher cautioned that 4 years old is too young for most students to begin kindergarten.
Utah's 2011 Teacher of the Year, Gay Beck, a former preschool teacher who now teaches kindergarten, said differences in age are especially pronounced in the way kids learn during kindergarten. Even within the current age limits, Beck said she often sees students with fall birthdays perform better than summer birthdays.
"It's my youngest students that most normally are failing," Beck said. "The discrepancy now is huge. The gap is huge. … I say let these little ones be 5. Let them have the best start possible and not try to change the landscape of that."
But legislators felt that the limit on the number of students who would be allowed to enroll early was such that the vast majority of Utah students would not be affected by the policy change. The bill passed the committee in a 5-1 vote.
"I think it's a safe number, and it will ensure that only those students who are truly ready will be able to do it," Stephenson said.
Both SB163 and HB42 now await approval on the Senate floor. Email: mjacobsen@deseretnews.com Twitter: MorganEJacobsen
