Responding to inquiries regarding all-day Kindergarten and to expand the conversation to the entire community, the District 97 Board of Education issues the following: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us regarding the Board of Education's recent discussions on full-day kindergarten. We wanted to share with you the background on how these discussions began, as well as a very preliminary perspective on how things are likely to proceed. The consideration of a full-day kindergarten program is one of many that the District 97 Board and Administration are reviewing in line with the objectives and strategies set forth in our recently completed Strategic Plan. As you may know, the Strategic Plan is the culmination of 18 months of work involving a true cross-section of community. Participants at all levels of the planning process included teachers, administrators, community leaders, and most importantly, parents like you. All dedicated their time and talent to understanding the issues and opportunities facing our schools by participating in surveys, focus groups, action teams and the overall Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Their work has been phenomenal. One of the objectives identified within the Strategic Plan is that "Each student will exceed all academic requirements." While some may consider this a lofty aspiration, it is one that our board believes is a crucial goal that we must begin working aggressively toward accomplishing. One opportunity that the Strategic Planning team identified as a means of accomplishing this objective was to strengthen early childhood learning opportunities for all of our children. The team's research noted numerous educational studies and experiences pointing toward a correlation between a strong start at the pre-school/kindergarten level equating to longer-term academic success. Presently, many parents and students find that a combination of the District's half-day kindergarten program and each family's own supplemental efforts (i.e., in-home activities, outstanding day-care situations, and more) provide the experience their child needs to ensure first grade readiness. However, there are many other parents that feel the activities and structure of a full-day kindergarten program would provide an enriched experience to further ensure their children are prepared for first grade. Thus, providing a full-day kindergarten option is one important way to broaden the kinds of academic experiences that the District can offer to all beginning learners. It is one of the ways that we can help ensure every Oak Park child is equipped early on to excel academically. It is also a program that the majority of parents responding to our community surveys at the start of the Strategic Planning process expressed positive attitudes toward. There is much work to do in determining how a full-day kindergarten program could be brought to life in Oak Park, and nothing is set in stone. However, we want to make it clear that there has never been any intent to force families to participate in full-day kindergarten. It's important to note that, per the Illinois School Code (School Code 105ILCS 5/26-1), children are not required to attend school until they are 7 years of age. Thus, ALL kindergarten participation is optional. Additionally, we recognize that while many families are looking forward to the possibilities of full-day kindergarten, there are also those that have made long-term family decisions with an eye toward using the District's kindergarten program in its current half-day format. While an exact kindergarten program (half-day/full-day combination) has yet to be determined, the state code (School Code 105ILCS 5/10-22.18) requires that if a district establishes a full day program, it must also provide a half day program for those families who want it. Therefore, as we look into a full-day program we must also look at how we can provide a half-day option for those who desire it. We hope this provides you with more perspective on the discussions to date. We look forward to your input and suggestions as we examine the opportunities and challenges of bringing an all-day kindergarten program to our district. District 97 Board of Education