As it stands now, ETSD offers half-day kindergarten and tuition based full-day kindergarten at a cost of $5,500 for the year per student. This creates inequality for our students as they enter our education system. Children in the HD K program receive 85 minutes less in daily literacy education, 10-15 minutes less in daily math instruction, 44 minutes less of choice learning time when replaced by a related arts period, and 228 minutes less for total educational, emotional and social learning. They also miss out on the valuable social learning that takes place during lunch and recess, small group learning time, and some school-wide activities.

Full-day K in ETSD is even advertised as beneficial because "it extends early reading and math concepts, language development, fine and gross motor skills, related arts and social skills into a complete full-day academic program." Therefore, in addition to paying taxes, in order to receive this better and more complete education for our children, individual families need to pay our public school district $5,500 per child.

ETSD is one of 2 school districts in Burlington County still offering tuition-based FD K and it charges a significant amount more. Statewide, we are in the bottom 10% of districts that do not provide FD K for all students.  

We request a cost analysis of our current kindergarten program and a projection of the cost for zero cost tuition for FD K for all along with an  allocation of funds to our FD K program so that every student is provided with an equal opportunity to a better education and strong educational foundation.