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CNN Live Sunday
Many Kindergarteners Put in Full Day
Aired August 31, 2003 - 10:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: It's back to school time. Can we have the music again? No. OK.
Well, for children going to school for the first time, it means more time in class than ever before. And that has some parents asking, is more better at such a young age? CNN's Elaine Quijano examines this debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're in day care now. But in just a matter of days...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does anybody know where (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is?
QUIJANO: ... 5-year-olds Lashan Bennett (ph), Ashley Johnson (ph) and Nicky Blanco (ph) will head off to school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm getting ready for kindergarten, but I love kindergarten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy because we're not going to nap.
QUIJANO: The Census Bureau says in 1970 10 percent of kids had full day kindergarten. Now it's 60 percent. These kids' parents think a full day versus a half-day kindergarten program makes sense, partly to develop better social skills and partly because of academics.
CHARMAIN BENNETT, PARENT: If she's a full-day kindergartner, she will be ready for the next year when she hits first grade.
QUIJANO: A recent study by Philadelphia's school district looked at more than 17,000 school children and found that former full-day kindergarteners were 26 percent more likely to reach third and fourth grades without repeating a grade than their half-day counterparts.
STEPHANIE FANJUL, NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: What we're seeing in the data is that full-day kindergarten offers children more individualized attention.
QUIJANO (on camera): Some educators also say full-day kindergarten give disadvantaged children a boost by allowing more teachers more time to detect learning challenges. (voice-over): Public debate in local schools districts in recent years has included some criticism of the potential extra costs, and that short attention spans in some children make the extra time less valuable. Some family rights groups also questions research that they say only takes into account a child's academic performance, not overall emotional and psychological well being.
Still, experts can agree on one thing. Either way, it's the quality of the teaching that can help shape a child's success.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 31, 2003 - 10:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: It's back to school time. Can we have the music again? No. OK.
Well, for children going to school for the first time, it means more time in class than ever before. And that has some parents asking, is more better at such a young age? CNN's Elaine Quijano examines this debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're in day care now. But in just a matter of days...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does anybody know where (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is?
QUIJANO: ... 5-year-olds Lashan Bennett (ph), Ashley Johnson (ph) and Nicky Blanco (ph) will head off to school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm getting ready for kindergarten, but I love kindergarten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy because we're not going to nap.
QUIJANO: The Census Bureau says in 1970 10 percent of kids had full day kindergarten. Now it's 60 percent. These kids' parents think a full day versus a half-day kindergarten program makes sense, partly to develop better social skills and partly because of academics.
CHARMAIN BENNETT, PARENT: If she's a full-day kindergartner, she will be ready for the next year when she hits first grade.
QUIJANO: A recent study by Philadelphia's school district looked at more than 17,000 school children and found that former full-day kindergarteners were 26 percent more likely to reach third and fourth grades without repeating a grade than their half-day counterparts.
STEPHANIE FANJUL, NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: What we're seeing in the data is that full-day kindergarten offers children more individualized attention.
QUIJANO (on camera): Some educators also say full-day kindergarten give disadvantaged children a boost by allowing more teachers more time to detect learning challenges. (voice-over): Public debate in local schools districts in recent years has included some criticism of the potential extra costs, and that short attention spans in some children make the extra time less valuable. Some family rights groups also questions research that they say only takes into account a child's academic performance, not overall emotional and psychological well being.
Still, experts can agree on one thing. Either way, it's the quality of the teaching that can help shape a child's success.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
