A recent BYU study looks at the effects of full-day kindergarten on family time

Salt Lake City, Utah – Now that back-to-school season is at its peak, many parents may be wondering how full-day kindergarten offered by some Utah school districts will affect the amount of time they spend with their children. However, a recent study from BYU and Notre Dame suggests that parents might not need to worry too much.

“There are two major purposes that public schools fulfill for children. According to Jocelyn Wilke, a family life professor at BYU, “School is first and foremost an investment in growth; helping a child’s cognitive development, social development, and language development.” “An additional reason is that parents can utilize their time in ways that can benefit families while their kids are in school.”

In order to comprehend the effects of full-day kindergarten on family relationships, Wilke collaborated with Riley Wilson, a professor of economics at BYU, and Chloe Gibbs, a student at the University of Notre Dame. They also analyzed national data from surveys carried out by federal agencies like the Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and national education data.

According to the report, which was released by the Annenberg Institute, having access to full-day kindergarten not only allows moms of kindergarten-aged children greater scheduling flexibility, but it also lessens the strain of having to provide transportation during the day. Additionally, full-day kindergarten has been shown to be a type of subsidized childcare that gives moms more options financially.

Wilke stated, “Families with young children are juggling a lot.” “Schools can offer full-day kindergarten options as a means of supporting moms during a stressful stage of parenting.”

According to the study, families with half-day kindergarten students spend an average of 57 minutes more each day with their mothers than do children in full-day kindergarten.

Researchers claim that this allays a lot of worries from families, especially when combined with better test results from full-day participants.

Overall, Wilson said, “Full-day kindergarten relaxes moms’ time constraints and allows them to spend their time differently.” “This usually means working longer hours, but it doesn’t mean spending less time doing meaningful activities with kids, like reading aloud, spending time with them one-on-one, or providing for their physical needs.”

One of the study’s researchers, Jocelyn Wilke, expressed her hope that families and school administrators may use the data as a guide when making decisions for their children.

One benefit of full-day kindergarten is that parents are not compelled by law to enroll their children in it. Families are still free to choose whether to send their children to school full- or half-day, but states do mandate school systems to offer it, according to Wilke. This simply gives parents more options. Depending on what is best for their child, parents can select the option that best suits them.