WHITEHALL, Ohio -- The debate regarding all-day kindergarten is not a new issue -- with plenty of pros and cons on each side.
According to the group Ground Work Ohio, 63 percent of children under the age of six have both parents working full-time, showing the need for kids to be in school all day.
In his 2009 State of the State address, Gov. Ted Strickland said he wants children to attend kindergarten all day.
One of the problems for school districts is that they don't get enough funding to put the plan in place, meaning more staff and the need for more room.
Three years ago, all-day kindergarten began in Whitehall by pinpointing students who needed a little more.
"When we assessed them prior to getting to kindergarten were not where we needed them to be skill-wise," said Judyth Dobbert-Meloy, superintendent of Whitehall City Schools.
When the students and parents responded positively, the thoughts changed.
"In two years, then we had a waiting list, knew it was a popular program and realized we needed to put resources in," Dobbert-Meloy said.
Now, the free all-day kindergarten program is going strong.
"A lot of our parents work all day, so what better place for them to be than school all day?" she said.
Grandview Heights also offers optional all-day kindergarten at a cost of $330 a month.
"It's been nice to have an optional program. I think our parents would like it if they didn't have to pay," said Ed O'Reilly, superintendent of Grandview Heights Schools.
But longer school days mean finding staff and room for everyone.
"We won't get state money from all the models I've seen this year and that means if I'm adding 2½ teachers, taxpayers pay for that," O'Reilly said.
Still, officials said they would like to see even more of the funding to ensure the program and others give students and districts the best chance to succeed.
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