UPDATE: LANSING - This year the state has initiated a plan to make full-day kindergarten close to mandatory for each school district.

Although, full-Day kindergarten may be more expensive for school districts the consequences of not implementing the program would be much more severe. Michigan lawmakers updated state rules declaring that districts opposing the implementation of full-day kindergarten will loose half of their state funding. Some districts began full-day kindergarten a few years back in preperation of this statute. East Lansing is one of those districts, so we caught up with Marble Elementary’s principal to get an idea of what full-day Kindergarten means for students.

Ruth Riddle, Principal of East Lansing's Marble Elementary, said, “having a student in half day kindergarten move to a first grade curriculum is a very challenging transition for many students because they are not getting all the preparation that they could have for first grade experience. So, when we have them all day they are not only learning the culture of the school, but they are also learning the curriculum that gets them ready for the next grade.”

Districts that don’t move to a full-day kindergarten schedule can expect to lose nearly $4,000 per student.


ORIGINAL STORY: LANSING - Full-day kindergarten is in effect throughout the state, so what are the benefits for students?