The Annie E. Casey Foundation
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Pennsylvania

Statistics on children, youth and families in Pennsylvania from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

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Kindergarten Enrollment
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Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

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Kindergarten - School district students enrolled by full day and half day in Pennsylvania

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Why This Indicator Matters

There has been a major shift away from half-day kindergarten in the United States, as students increasingly enroll in full-day programs due to various social, economic, and educational factors. Such factors include the rise in single parent households, limited access to child care options, more time for teachers to form meaningful relationships with students, and developmental benefits associated with longer instruction.[1] Research has found that full-day kindergarten leads to stronger academic achievement, fewer achievement gaps between student subgroups, and enhanced social and emotional skills.[2] Full-day kindergarten is particularly beneficial for English learners, at-risk students, and rural populations, allowing for extra time in the classroom and mitigating potential geographical barriers to education.[3], [4] This national trend has been consistent in Pennsylvania, where the percentage of full-day kindergarten has significantly increased from 70% to nearly 85% of all enrollments over the past decade.

[1] Walston, J. & West, J. (2004). Full-Day and Half-Day Kindergarten in the United States: Finding from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004078.pdf

[2] Northwest Comprehensive Center. (2014). Full-Day Kindergarten: What the Research Says. https://www.compcenternetwork.org/sites/default/files/archive/white-paper-fullday-kindergarten.pdf

[3] Cannon, J.S., Jacknowitz, A., & Painter, G. (2011). The Effect of Attending Full–Day Kindergarten on English Learner Students. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 30(2), 287–309. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.20560/abstract

[4] Cannon, J. S., Jacknowitz, A., & Painter, G. (2006). Is Full Better than Half? Examining the Longitudinal Effects of Full-Day Kindergarten Attendance. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management: The Journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, 25(2), 299-321.  https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.20174

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Definition and Source

PROVIDER

Definition

The number of children enrolled and attending half-day and full-day kindergarten as reported by school districts ONLY.

Data Source

Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Data Quality.

Notes

Totals for Pennsylvania are unique counts of students.  School district data may not sum to the Pennsylvania total.

Last Updated

January 2024