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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IN MASSACHUSETTS
Abstract
In this study, the establishment of all-day kindergarten in Massachusetts was examined with particular emphasis on five areas: (1) the reasons for its establishment, (2) changes in goals and expectations, (3) areas of curricular importance and areas into which the additional time was put, (4) teaching materials purchased, and (5) problems with the establishment and maintenance of the program. Administrators in the fifteen communities with all-day kindergarten were interviewed. All kindergarten teachers in fourteen of these communities were sent questionnaires and from the responses, a random sample of teachers in eleven communities were also interviewed. The communities with all-day kindergarten ran the gamut of both the economic and geographic spectrums. The need for racial balance, the needs of working parents and preparation for first grade were seen as the prevalent reasons for its establishment in Massachusetts. There was no consensus of opinion from either teachers or administrators concerning changes in goals. But concerning changes in expectations, the consensus of opinion was that expectations for children had changed and ranged from the simple expectation of children being more used to the school routine to the expectation that the children would be reading in kindergarten. Readiness skills were named as the most important curricular area and the ones into which the additional time available in the program was put. The vast majority of school systems made no special purchase of teaching material for the program. Administrators for the most part felt that there were no problems in either the establishment or maintenance of the all-day kindergarten. Teachers on the other hand, reported problems in the maintenance of the program that ranged from class size to the inability of some children to cope with being in school all day.
Subject Area
Preschool education
Recommended Citation
WILE, MARY G, "THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IN MASSACHUSETTS" (1986). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8622731.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8622731