The Uintah School District has developed a plan to offer both half-day kindergarten and full-day kindergarten at all elementary schools in the district beginning in the fall of 2023.
The draft plan allows parents to choose between enrolling their student in half-day kindergarten or full-day kindergarten, as required by state law. It also provides guidance for moving a student from one option to the other during the school year if a parent chooses to do so.
The proposal has been reviewed by the district’s elementary school principals. They were given the opportunity to provide feedback and make recommendations. The draft plan will be presented to the Uintah School Board for preliminary approval during the April 5 board meeting at Vernal Middle School.
The draft plan was developed in response to the Utah Legislature’s recent passage of HB477, which provides funding through the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) for Utah schools to provide full-day kindergarten. In addition to funding full-day kindergarten, the legislation requires schools to continue to offer a half-day kindergarten option.
The district's draft plan calls for all kindergarten classrooms to operate as full-day classrooms where students who participate in the half-day option are released at noon, except on Fridays.
All kindergarten students will receive instruction in language arts and math in the morning. In the afternoons, full-day kindergarten students will receive additional instruction in language arts, intervention or extension time, and/or "specials." Specials may include activities in art and music; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); physical education; or library time.
Half-day kindergarten students who fall behind their peers academically will have the option to attend afternoon sessions for a specified number of days to receive extra instruction and intervention support.
Transportation and school meals will be provided for all kindergarten students under the district's draft plan, regardless of whether they attend full-day or half-day.
All kindergarten students who ride the bus will be bused to school with elementary school students in the morning. Half-day kindergarten students will be released at noon on Monday through Thursday, immediately following lunch. Those who ride the bus will be bused home at that time. Full-day kindergarten students who ride the bus will be bused home at the end of the school day on the same buses that currently transport elementary students.
On Fridays both half-day and full-day kindergarten students will be bused home with elementary students at 12:45 p.m. in keeping with the district’s Friday schedule.
Uintah School District is committed to providing a positive and engaging learning environment where all students develop essential skills for productive citizenship and lifelong learning. We appreciate the crucial role parents play in their child’s education and want to partner with parents to inspire kids to reach their full individual potential.
Please email Superintendent Rick Woodford at
[email protected] if you would like to provide specific feedback on the draft kindergarten plan.