Ed Management Services

Full Day Kindergarten and Prekindergarten

  • Option: Full Day Prekindergarten
    • Essential Elements:
      • A program for four year olds, including those with disabilities, as appropriate, that  meets program requirements for Sections 100.3 and 175.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner.
      • A minimum of a full school day or a minimum of a full school day program with extended hours to meet the needs of children and families in collaboration with eligible community based agencies and/or programs designed to increase the integration of students with disabilities into full-day prekindergarten programs.
      • Provides instructional program according to the NYS Student Performance Indicators for Prekindergarten.
  • Option: Full Day Kindergarten
    • Essential Elements:
      • A program for five year olds, that  meets program requirements for Sections 100.3 and 175.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner.
      • A minimum of a full school day or a minimum of a full school day program with extended hours to meet the needs of children and families.
      • Provides instructional program according to the NYS Student Performance Indicators for Kindergarten.

Moreover, all programs and activities under the option of full day kindergarten and prekindergarten shall:

  • Facilitate student attainment of the NYS learning standards.
  • Predominantly benefit students with the greatest educational needs including, but not limited to: those students with limited English proficiency and students who are English language learners, students in poverty and students with disabilities.
  • Predominantly benefit those students in schools identified as requiring academic progress or in need of improvement or in corrective action or restructuring.
  • Be developed in reference to practices supported by research or other comparable evidence as to their effectiveness in raising achievement.
  • Be accompanied by high quality, sustained professional development focused on content pedagogy, curriculum development and/or instructional design to ensure successful implementation of each program and activity.
  • Be consistent with federal mandates, state law, and regulations governing the education of such students.
  • Be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds allocated by the district in the base year for such purposes.

New York State Education Law

Early Childhood Education for Student Achievement in a Global Community, January 2006 Report to the Board of Regents:

Regulations of the Commissioner of Education

Part 151-2, Part 151-1 and Sections 100.3 and 175.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner

Research Studies, Research Reviews and Other Best Evidence

“Is More Better? The Effects of Full Day vs. Half Day Preschool on Early School Achievement"  External Link ICON PDF ICON  (221KB) The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life.

“Does Prekindergarten Experience Influence Children’s Subsequent Educational Development” Dr. Donna DeSiato – Supt. East Syracuse – Minoa Central School District

Us Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences “Full Day and Half Day Kindergarten in the United States: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99  external icon  pdf icon  (1.41 MB)

West Ed 2005 Policy Brief, Full Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities external icon  pdf icon  (122KB)

Lee, Valerie and Burkam, David, Full Day vs. Half Day Kindergarten: Which Children Learn More In Which Program?  Paper presented at the American Sociological Association 2001

Lee, Valerie, David T. Burkam, Douglas D. Ready, Joann Honigman, and Samuel J. Meisels, Full-Day versus Half-Day Kindergarten: In Which Program Do Children Learn More?   external icon  American Journal of Education, volume 112 (2006), pages 163–208

Last Updated: April 15, 2014