Trend toward Full-Day Kindergarten Impacts School Bus Services

As several districts across the country phase in full-day kindergarten, school transportation departments are adjusting their bus services to accommodate the shift in ridership.

Among the challenges facing transportation directors are additional students on afternoon buses and a need for infrastructure, including buses, drivers, adult monitors and equipment to accommodate children with special needs.

The expansion to full-day kindergarten is in response to a growing focus on the academic benefits of a longer school day as well as the opportunity to offer broader instruction such as arts education.

In its third year of a four-year roll out of full-day kindergarten, Los Angeles Unified School District has experienced a decrease in the number of mid-day bus trips but an increase in the necessary equipment to transport disabled students, said deputy director of transportation David Palmer. LAUSD reserves bus services for special education children and those participating in student integration services. It currently transports 1,263 kindergarten students.

Previously, kindergarteners shared their time on the school bus and use of equipment, with some children going half-day in the morning and others attending in the afternoon. But with the phase in of full-day kindergarten, all students travel to and from school at the same time.

"The research was indicating that there were significant benefits (to full-day instruction)," Palmer said. "Therefore, we are pleased to be able to support that."

Baltimore County Public School is also in the midst of a full-day kindergarten phase-in that started in 2003. By the start of the 2007-08 school year, all of the district's 108 elementary schools will have full-day kindergarten, said transportation director Linda Fitchett.

BCPS anticipates that the shift will result in the addition of 35 to 40 schools buses and drivers. Full-day kindergarten won't eliminate mid-day transportation, but the additional resources have helped the district reduce ride time for some pre-K routes. Additionally, Fitchett said, more buses and drivers will be available to schools for mid-day field trips.

Some states are examining the cost of incorporating full-day kindergarten into schools in an effort to bring in funding. While some districts in Indiana offer full-day kindergarten, the lack of money keeps others at half-day, said Jayma Ferguson, director of the Division of Primetime and Reading First at the Indiana Department of Education.

An August study for the state DOE concluded that 47.9 percent of buses would require at least one additional seat to accommodate ridership resulting from full-day kindergarten.

"The major reason we had the study done was to look at cost," Ferguson said. "We need to have a break down that we could share with the financial analysts and the legislators.

Indiana state director Pete Baxter also stressed the importance of keeping transportation costs arising from full-day kindergarten at the forefront alongside teaching staff and building space.

"We were looking to be proactive with this so when it comes up for debate in our state house, they consider all the elements," he said.