Things HSLDA Opposes: Kindergarten

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HSLDA opposes both mandatory kindergarten and full-day kindergarten. They argue that early childhood education is harmful to children’s development, that beginning compulsory attendance at age five prevents parents from deciding when their children are ready to begin their education, and that full-day kindergarten programs both expand state control of education and cost taxpayers money. Let’s take a look!

Massachusetts:

Michigan:

Summary:

Makes full-day kindergarten for 5-year-olds mandatory.

HSLDA’s Position:

HSLDA is opposed to this bill

Georgia:

Summary:

This bill would lower the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5 and make kindergarten mandatory for one year before a child could enter the first grade.

HSLDA’s Position:

HSLDA opposed this legislation.

Hawaii:

Wyoming:

What exactly is going on here? We can glean some information from the commentary HSLDA includes in some of its position statements. Here’s an example:

Mississippi:

Remember when I wrote a couple of weeks ago that HSLDA’s end game is getting the government out of the education business entirely? Well, this is part of that. HSLDA sees any expansion of kindergarten—including both mandatory kindergarten and full-day kindergarten—as an expansion of government involvement in education.

But there’s more, too. In a post on a Texas kindergarten bill, HSLDA adds this:

According to the 2005 NAEP test scores of children from states that have low compulsory attendance ages (5-6) did not score any higher than children from the other states, and in some subjects their average was actually lower.

Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child’s formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later.

Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child’s formal education should begin.

A report published February 6, 2007 by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade.

The data show that students in schools with all-day kindergarten programs have statistically significant higher 3rd-grade test scores, but there is no impact on 5th-grade scores. This finding is consistent with previous research. Forcing children into school early delivers short-term benefits at best.

Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools.

Let’s sort this out, shall we? I summarize HSLDA’s points as follows:

1. Full-day kindergarten either harms children, makes no difference, or offers only a short term benefit.

2. Mandating school attendance at age 5 prevents parents from choosing for themselves when their children’s formal education should begin.

3. Making full-day kindergarten mandatory would lead to “inevitable” tax increases.

Now first of all, according to the National Education Association:

NEA recognizes that full-day kindergarten programs close achievement gaps between young children from minority and low-income families and their peers. By providing a solid foundation of learning to children from all backgrounds, full-day kindergarten programs ensure all students’ academic, social, and emotional success.

I recognize that the debate over full-day kindergarten specifically and early childhood education in general is likely more complex than this summary allows for, and I am not an expert on early childhood education. But for all that HSLDA claims that this is open and shut, it’s clearly not. It’s worth noting that public education is about more than just academic skills. I can also say from personal experience that I have seen preschool and kindergarten benefit my own daughter both developmentally and academically.

I should note that I absolutely agree that discussion of what kindergarten should involve—i.e. being play-based v. being heavy on worksheets—is important. Not all kindergartens are the same, and kids should have access to things that are developmentally appropriate, including time to rest or nap. This is a conversation I think is incredibly worthwhile. But this is not the conversation that HSLDA is having. They’re not concerned about what kindergartens should look like, but rather about requiring kindergarten at all.

Now let’s look at this from a slightly different angle. As a working mother, I am incredibly thankful that my local school district offers full-day kindergarten. If they only offered half-day kindergarten, I would have to find a private full-day kindergarten to enroll my daughter in, and that would mean handing over a significant amount of money. This is not tenable for many parents.

But then, HSLDA is a Christian organization headed by men who believe mothers should stay at home with their children rather than working outside of the home.

It’s worth noting that HSLDA opposes even voluntary full-day kindergarten, arguing that that’s only the first step to making it mandatory. As I’ve mentioned earlier, when parental decisions conflict with HSLDA’s beliefs (such as their belief that early childhood education is harmful), HSLDA tends to oppose expanding parental options.

What about the issue of making kindergarten mandatory? Well, in many states compulsory attendance laws do not kick in until age 6 or 7. As a result, kindergarten is optional. HSLDA argues that this is a good thing—that it allows parents decide when their children’s formal education should begin—but then, HSLDA would like to see an end to compulsory attendance laws in general.

There is nothing stopping parents who feel their children are not ready to attend school at age five or six from homeschooling them instead. In other words, beginning compulsory attendance at age five only creates a problem for parents who think their five-year-old child should literally not be exposed to learning at all—not their letters, not their numbers, not art or music or science. In other words, if a parent is concerned that their child is not ready for kindergarten and would like to keep them home instead, there is nothing about compulsory attendance beginning at age five that would prevent them from doing so as homeschooling parents.

But then, you can see HSLDA’s position here:

Summary:

House Bill 14 would require a child who turns 5 years old by August 1 to attend kindergarten. Although the bill description states the homeschooled children are exempt from the requirement, homeschool families would have to file their notice of intent when their child turns 5.

HSLDA’s Position:

Oppose.

HSLDA is opposed to lowering the compulsory attendance age.

HSLDA is not satisfied with allowing homeschooling families to keep their children home from public kindergarten. They want families who are not homeschooling to also be allowed to keep their children home from public kindergarten.