The Shelton Board of Education will hear more about all-day Kindergarten Wednesday evening.
"Our Full-Day Kindergarten committee is well on the way to preparing a proposal for the Mayor and Aldermen. They've told us they need to see good strong information to fund it," said Board of Education Chairman Mark Holden.
"I believe we'll be able to show them the rigorous curriculum we intend to offer will save taxpayers money by reducing the need for remedial help in grades 1-12. It really is an everybody wins opportunity," he added.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside School, 418 River Road.
Michele B. Bialek, a Sunnyside parent representative who serves on the Board of Education's Ad-hoc FDK committee, said cost should not hinder implementation of all-day kindergarten.
"The Shelton board of education has been working very hard to research and study the case for this overdue program and they plan to include it in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Shelton is one of the only communities left in the state of CT without FDK and the current curriculum unfortunately falls short of the surrounding cities and towns," she said.
"The term Kindergarten simply does not mean what it did in generations past and as a parent of a child in sixth grade as well as kindergarten, I will tell you first hand that the expectations and curriculum have changed drastically in the matter of just six years."
"In a city openly proud of it's forward progress and efficient operation of government and programs, I find it distressing that the 'cost' of implementing this sorely needed and well represented program is the ONLY [sic] reason for impeding progress," she added.
The program will save the city money over the next eight years "simply in remediation support, far outweighing the initial expenditure."
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