Council Rock Preparing To Launch Full-Day Kindergarten In The Fall

NEWTOWN, PA — The Council Rock School District continues to put the finishing touches on its new full-day Kindergarten program, which will launch beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

In early 2024, the school board began investigating the addition of full-day Kindergarten and sought feedback from the community. After several months of investigation, in June the school board gave its formal approval to the program.

“In Council Rock we strive for educational excellence and full day kindergarten is an essential part of that educational excellence,” said then school board president Yota Palli. “The extra four hours of kindergarten per day will allow our teachers to fully implement a reading readiness program and a math bridges program along with all five specials and purposeful play. Our students will not need to play catch up, but they will be fully prepared for first grade, both academically and socially.”

According to Palli, the district has the space to implement the program without impacting class size and without the need for redistricting. “And we can offer full day kindergarten with very limited tax implications,” she said.

According to the administration, the program will cost the district taxpayer with the average assessment $36 more a year to cover one time costs of $1.138 million for furniture and supplies, $2.6 million annually for new staffing along with a savings of $450,000 in transportation cost.

“Full day kindergarten is something that has been discussed for decades in Council Rock,” said board member Tracey Osecki. “Parents have wanted this for so long and for so long the board has not been interested in having real discussions about the merits or the community need. For the
last six months this board has made it a priority … I am so excited to vote for full day kindergarten in Council Rock. No longer will our students be at a disadvantage. The community wants this. Our schools can accommodate it. The tax increase is nominal. This is students first, always.”

Since the approval, Council Rock administrators have been working behind the scenes building a curriculum that meets the needs of Kindergarten-aged students.

To ensure that the development of the program included a variety of perspectives, the district formed a stakeholder group comprised of current and future Council Rock parents, staff, teachers, administrators, and board members.

In addition, district teachers and administrators visited area school districts that have already implemented full-day Kindergarten to learn from their experience.

"Students entering Council Rock’s first year of full-day Kindergarten will be engaged and active

in the optimal environment for their early learning experiences," said district officials.

Registration for students, including students entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2025, is currently underway. Click here to visit the online registration portal for Full-Day Kindergarten.