According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, 1,659 schools in Illinois offer full day kindergarten, 355 offer full & half day and only 217 offer half day only. Back when we were kids, half-day kindergarten was fine because it was play-based, however now, with common core, it is impossible for these kids to learn all they need to in 2 hours (in NSSD 112, 30 minutes of their day is specials).

Other schools in the area are offering full day K next year if they haven't already started implementing it. Hawthorne district 73, Northbrook 27, Libertyville, Evanston, Skokie 68 and 68, and Lake Forest to name a few. In fact, Deerfield 109 just passed full day k for next year which, let's face it, will put Highland Park at an even greater disadvantage.

With all the talk about the changes needed within the district, people are choosing not to move to Highland Park. Others are choosing to sell their houses due to the issues and lack of full-day kindergarten in 112.

Oak terrace and Braeside currently have a pilot program which includes full-day K. Indian trail, red oak and sherwood have tiny class sizes in Kindergarten this year. Something needs to be done as soon as possible to keep up with the demands of the core standards as well as the areas surrounding us. We want 112 to be a top-ranked education.  Highland Park needs to join the rest of the state and surrounding communities by focusing on this opportunity. This is a more pressing issue than the district reorganization at this point. Failing these kids in K puts them at a disadvantage in the future.