Little Miami kindergartners will begin attending school all day beginning this fall.

In an ongoing effort to tighten finances, Little Miami Local School District officials are switching from a half-day everyday kindergarten to a full-day, every-other-day program. Under the arrangement, half the district's kindergartners will attend Salem Twp. Elementary School Mondays and Wednesdays, others on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both groups will alternate attendance on Fridays. By switching to this format, the district will save more than $230,000 in transportation costs by eliminating the mid-day bus routes.

A typical kindergarten day will include four instructional periods divided by breaks for recess, snacks and lunch. Benefits of a longer instructional day include more continuity of instruction; a better transition to first grade's full-day, everyday schedule; more variety of activities; and additional in-class time to work on projects. The day will be more conducive to age-appropriate instruction where kindergarten students have time to be active learners.

Additionally, Little Miami plans to partner with The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development to offer a kindergarten village and latchkey services at Salem Twp. Elementary School. The program will provide educational daycare services for kindergarten students on their days off from school and will be housed at Salem Twp. Elementary School.

"I believe this change in the instructional day coupled with a kindergarten village will be a win-win situation. The governor's proposal includes every Ohio school district switching to all day, everyday kindergarten by 2011," said Superintendent Dan Bennett.

Goddard's proposed offerings include all-day, everyday kindergarten, alternate day kindergarten, before and after school care, after-school enrichment and possible summer programming.

The district is investigating other latchkey opportunities at Maineville Elementary School and the new Little Miami Intermediate School. Letters to parents with detailed information are expected to go out before the end of school.