SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Back to school season is in its height currently and with some Utah school districts offering full-day kindergarten many parents may be wondering, 'How will this impact the time that I spend with my child?' But according to a new study by BYU and Notre Dame, parents may not have much to worry about.
“Public school serves two purposes that are both important for kids. First, school is an investment in growth; helping a child’s cognitive development, social development and language development,” said Jocelyn Wilke, BYU professor of family life. “Another purpose is that while children are at school, parents have opportunities to use their time in other ways that can also be valuable for families.”
Wilke, along with BYU economics professor Riley Wilson and Chloe Gibbs from the University of Notre Dame, national data from surveys conducted by federal agencies like the Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and national education data, to understand the impact of full-day kindergarten on family relationships.
The study, which was published by the Annenberg Institute, found that not only does access to full-day kindergarten decrease the burden on mothers of kindergarten-aged children to provide transportation in the middle of the day, it also gives more flexibility to mothers' schedules. Researchers also stated that full-day kindergarten can be a form of susidized childcare allowing mothers increased financial opportunities.
“Families with young children are juggling a lot,” Wilke said. “Moms need support during a stressful stage of parenting, and schools can provide that support through offering full-day kindergarten options.”
The research showed that on school days, children in full-day kindergarten only spend an average of 57 minutes less with their mothers each day compared to families with half-day kindergarten.
Researchers say this paired with improved test scores from full-day participants, negates many concerns from families.
“Overall, full-day kindergarten relaxes time constraints for moms, and allows them to spend their time differently,” Wilson said. “On average this means spending more time working, but not necessarily less time engaging in high-quality activities with children such as reading together, one-on-one time or physical care for the children.”
Jocelyn Wilke, one of the study's researchers, says she hopes that the data can be a reference point for school administrators and families as they make the choice for their children.
“The nice thing about full-day kindergarten is that in no state are parents required to use it for their children. States require school districts to provide it, but it’s still a family’s choice about whether they do half-day or full-day,” Wilke said. “This just expands choices for parents. Parents can choose their best option, based on what is best for their child.”
