In anticipation of the all day, every day kindergarten (AD/EDK), a group of kindergarten teachers, elementary school principals and other teachers in the district has gotten together to plan out curriculum, programs, schedules and hiring.

This group addressed the Albert Lea school board on Monday night.

The district will have 10 kindergarten classes: two at Sibley, two at Hawthorne, three at Halverson, and three at Lakeview.

The switch from AD/EDK from the half-day system will require twice as many rooms as they had before. Solving this problem will also require buying new furniture. Jean Jordan, principal at Lakeview, is applying to the district Teaching and Learning Committee for a grant to solve this problem.

Another anticipated problem that the group foresees is parents wanting their children home for half the day. While the group said they see reason why some parents would want their children home, the alternative of having some half-day programs will cause other problems.

Anne Bonnerup, a kindergarten teacher at Sibley Elementary School, said the-all day program will give teachers and students more opportunity to address different subjects in more full detail.

She also stressed that the classes weren’t going to be tests, or a watered down version of first grade.

&uot;A lot of the instruction is still going to be ‘hands-on’ activity based,&uot; she said. According to Bonnerup, that kind of activity is the best way to learning for this age of children.

She said she looks forward to not having the two-and-a-half hour time restraint.

&uot;These days when we teach we always have to be so aware of the time. With the new program, we’ll be able to spend as much time as necessary,&uot; she said.

Board chairman Ken Petersen and Superintendent Dave Prescott said they hope that some sort of data can be produced from year to year on how the new program makes a difference in the education of the students involved.

&uot;Any type of data you can come up with is important,&uot; Petersen said.

Petersen said it may be helpful in keeping the program going if the budget gets tightened in the next two to three years.

Prescott added that he hoped the state would begin to start funding the program, and said any data collected may help to get statewide funding initiated.