Funding for full-day kindergarten?

Several legislators are sponsoring a 2016 bill to provide more state funding for full-day kindergarten.

Right now New Hampshire provides towns with one half of the per pupil funding for each kindergarten student, in accordance with a half-day kindergarten program.  If a town decides to offer full-day kindergarten instead of half-day, the funding does not increase.

The 2016 bill, HB 1563, removes the one-half cap on per-pupil kindergarten funding.

“Kindergarten is not half as important as first, second and third grade,” Sen. Dan Feltes told the Concord Monitor. “It’s essential to help close the opportunity gap between low and middle income families and upper income families.”  

Opponents of full funding argue that full-day kindergarten is too demanding for children and cuts into important play time and family time.

Lifting the cap on kindergarten funding will increase annual state expenditures by roughly $3 million.  

When the LFDA last asked our community about full-day kindergarten, most commenters opposed full-day programs.  Click here to learn more.