In 2007, before alternative state funding became available for Full Day Kindergarten in New Albany Floyd County, the NAFC Education Foundation made it a priority to ensure our children had the opportunity to experience this important stepping stone in their educational journey.
Research clearly demonstrates a strong correlation between early childhood educational experiences and academic success. Of course, these experiences traditionally have come from parents or other care-givers. However, not all of our children have had the same level of care and opportunity and therefore educators are seeing larger gaps in the preparedness of students for school.
The strategy for filling these gaps has been to provide full-day rather than half-day kindergarten. For example, a longitudinal study comparing academic performance of students participating in half-day and full-day kindergarten in Indiana and Wisconsin found that 40-50% more academic instruction occurred in full-day programs. Further, full-day kindergarten was found to be an effective way of reducing achievement gaps. In fact, in one Indiana school district, by 5th grade full-day kindergarten students were outperforming half-day students in 23 areas of comparison.
The New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation embraced the belief that early intervention is crucial for student success. In 2007 and 2008 Full Day Kindergarten in Floyd County was fully funded through NAFC Education Foundation. Floyd County joins the chorus of educators who believe that full-day kindergarten generates academic success for our students.