Effects of Full-Day Kindergarten on Academic Achievement and Social Development

Due to the current media attention regarding the perceived benefits of full-day versus half-day kindergarten programs, a comprehensive review and analysis of the current published research was conducted in order to seek consensus on the merits of full-day kindergarten programs.  It was consistently found that full-day kindergarten programs result in short-term academic gains in the areas of literacy and math, however in the majority of cases these advantages were found to be quite small.  Additionally, the available research suggests that where gains do exist, this advantage begins to fade by the end of the first grade, and generally disappears completely by the end of the primary grades.  While these programs are generally preferred by both parents and teachers, the lack of potential benefits to students makes it difficult to justify the increased cost of implementing a full-day versus half-day kindergarten schedule.