Some might think all-day kindergarten is a luxury a school district can't affort when cutbacks in state and federal aid are forcing significant reductions across the board in educational programs.
They would be wrong.
Since all-day kindergarten was established in the Warren County School District the percentage of children that have been assessed ready to enter 1st grade has improved significantly.
In the last year of half-day kindergarten, 2005-06, 55 percent of youngsters met the benchmark for 1st grade. That percentage has increased to as much as 88 percent today.
The numbers don't lie. There is a direct and measurable benefit to all-day kindergarten.
While we respect the fiscal dilemma the district finds itself in, we hope that the administration and the school board will find a way to maintain the program.
In its work to come up with a balanced budget for the coming school year, given the inevitable cuts from Harrisburg, all-day kindergarten should be a top priority.