eslalwani

I just read somewhere that kindergarden is not free if you go full time is this correct. I am moving to Virginia in the summer and my daughter has just completed reception here so i thought she would go in 1st grade but that may not be the case. So while researching kindergarden i came across the fact that some fulltime places you have to pay for, I thought kindergarden was school. Can someone fill me in.

Duncan Roberts

Generally kindergarten is part time and only budgeted for part time use. Some will offer full time at no charge but all the ones I know about around us charge something for full time. It's nominal compared to daycare though. By the way, if you think school in general is free, think again. At it's basic level it is but if your kids want to do any sort of extra curricula activity, have books/stationary and stuff like that, you will be charged. At some of the schools around here that can run into several thousand per year.

Bob

Down my way, it's marginally cheaper than childcare, but your still talking $12-15hr range.

Mummy in the foothills

Kindergarten here is free and full time, so it depends on the school district.
We do have a supplies list and pay for field trips.
They start Kindergarten here if they will turn 5 by November 31st. Some places have other cut off dates.
Dd starts July 20 something. this will be my 3rd one starting the same school Kindergarten class.

MsElui

kindergarten here is part time and free but the state of ohio have said the schools MUST offer full time and thats being phased in over the next few years. Think that will also be free.

penguinsix

I think it is free in most states at the 5-year-old level (i.e. K5). In fact I've never heard of anywhere charging for K5 but that might be the case in some places. K-4 is not legally required, so in some states there may be a charge for K-4 programs (which are generally part-time).

SarahG

Here where I live in Indiana it is free for part time and you have to pay for full time. They are phasing out the part time option though as very few people do it. Works out about $700 per semester. Cut off is to be 5 by August 1. No school supplies to be bought until first grade.

Bluegrass Lass

Wow. This is news to me. I would have thought it's against the law to charge tuition for public school, esp since Kindergarten is a mandatory class. Sounds like lawsuit potential to me.

Duncan Roberts

It's not mandatory for it to be full time.

SpoogleDrummer

I live in a town that's half in Alabama and half in Tennessee, the schools are in the Alabama side and anyone who lives in the Tennessee side has to pay to send their kids to the schools . Apparently that rule only came in once the governor's children, who lived in Tennessee, had finished school there.

eslalwani

i can not believe paying for kindergarden is right, in fact i think it is damnright wrong. I guess we are spoiled in the uk and sometimes the grass is not always greener. My impression was kindergarden started at 5 and it was full time, i put it on par with reception. I am now thinking my child should go into 1st grade after this because part time for her is not good enough it will take her back.

SarahG

I am not too happy we have to pay to send our children to Kindergarten but that is the way it is in the State we live in. Kindergarten programs seem to vary from State to State. Also just because your child has completed Reception year at a UK school does not mean they will be ready for 1st grade. I know this from personal experience. Do not put your child in 1st grade just because you don't want to pay for them to go to Kindergarten. Speak to the school you want your child to go to and read all the information you can about the school and their Kindergarten program.

kins

Actually I think the UK sends children to school too young, speaking as someone with children who've started school in both the US and the UK.

You'll find there are many differences between the UK and the US education systems. Just because something is different to what you're used to doesn't mean it's worse.

kins

BTW it's kindergarten not kindergarden...

Sally Redux

The age at which they start in the UK has got steadily earlier, to be honest the little ones are falling asleep on a full day and the educational benefits are dubious.