St. Charles doesn't have a full-day program, but many neighboring communities do. Many parents and teachers want the program, and wish the school district would start one. Others think children in kindergarten are too young to be in school all day. Donna Dowd, a kindergarten teacher at Munhall, believes in the program. We think it would be wonderful for the children.
Kids come to school with so much prior knowledge.
It feels like we're just getting started, and it's time to go home. Bonnie Gould, director of the First Baptist Preschool in St. Charles, isn't sure a full-day program is a good thing. Dowd said that even though the curriculums would be the same, she would use the extra time to discover things with the children. Denise Hobbs, who also teaches kindergarten at Munhall, agrees. I'd spend more time reading books with the kids and doing more writing with them.