Funding extends classes; Full-day kindergarten open to more children.

Byline: Danielle M. Williamson

GARDNER - Born into a family of builders, Mayor Gerald E. St. Hilaire says he knows the importance of a solid foundation. Without one, the rest of the structure is doomed to fall apart.

That is part of the reason why Mr. St. Hilaire, who is also the School Committee's chairman, was thrilled to learn last week that the district has received a state grant that will allow an opportunity to more than triple the number of Gardner youngsters able to attend full-day kindergarten.

"This is a great thing for education in Gardner," Mr. St. Hilaire said.

The state Department of Education notified the city Thursday that it had received the implementation portion of a $60,000 grant for additional full-time kindergarten classes. In the two years Carol L. Daring has been superintendent, Gardner has only been able to offer 20 students the opportunity to attend the full-day class. The district applied for and received a $60,000 planning grant in March, paving the way for last week's receipt of the implementation money.

In total, the schools have received $120,000 in state funds to expand current kindergarten offerings. The district will not be adding more kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Daring said. Rather, current teachers may teach a full-day class instead of two half-day sessions.

After receiving the planning grant, school officials started asking parents of kindergarten-age children if they would be interested in the full-day program. The response was significant, Mrs. Daring said, and parents have been regularly checking with the district to see if it had been awarded the implementation grant.

"We've been getting calls every day. Parents have been waiting," Mrs. Daring said.

In past years, the district has barely been able to fill a class of 20 full-time kindergartners. Mrs. Daring attributes that to the mandatory $2,000 tuition fee associated with the class.

One of the requirements of the state grant, however, is that kindergarten is offered with a sliding scale fee schedule, similar to the way districts calculate eligibility for free and reduced lunch. Families who meet certain income requirements will not have to pay the $2,000 charged to higher income families.

The new sliding scale has attracted 135 applicants, Mrs. Daring said. The district entered the names into a lottery. The first 20 students picked were guaranteed a spot in the program because the city already funds one full-day class. Another 50 students picked in the lottery were put on hold while the city waited to hear from the state.

The 65 students not picked, and approximately 130 other youngsters, will attend half-day kindergarten, which is a regular offering in the public schools.

Expanding on Mr. St. Hilaire's building analogy, Mrs. Daring said full-day kindergarten can strengthen students' education foundation.

"This allows us to address literacy and language issues," she said.

The district intends to apply for similar funds in subsequent years.