JEFFERSON TWP— Positive comments from parents led one parochial school to expand its unique kindergarten program.

Kindergarten students at His Kids Christian School will gradually increase from all half days to three full days of school next school year.

Principal Debora Dawson said the program, called Kindergarten Plus, has been a success in its first two years.

Fi Saelor, kindergarten teacher, said when students stay for the entire school day, it gives her time to do enrichment activities. During the first two years of the program, the students have had class in the mornings before the Christmas break. When the students return from that break, they stay the full day two days per week, and attend half days on the other three days of the week.

That gives Saelor time to do a cooking activity Wednesday afternoon and a craft activity on Friday afternoon. It also gives her time to breathe, she said.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she said.

When she is teaching the eight students during just the morning, little things such as tying shoes or teaching social skills can push back the reading lesson for the day. By having the students two afternoons a week, she can move the reading lesson to the afternoon if needed.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, the students eat lunch with the older students, have recess with second graders, and designate a quiet time before afternoon lessons.

"It provides the kids with more time for enrichment activities," Saelor said.

For example, the alphabet letter last week was "F." So, on Wednesday she had students piece together funny faces out of pears, carrots, raisins and other foods.

Dawson said there is a statewide push for full-day kindergarten and the school wanted to be in front of the trend.

The program started when Carol Novy was acting principal at the school in the Summit Presbyterian Outreach Community Building on Butler-Saxonburg Road.

Novy said parents liked the program when it started because it gave them an option between full-day kindergarten offered at some private schools and the half-day kindergarten at both of the public school districts His Kids serves, Butler and South Butler. She knows of no other school that does full-day kindergarten only a few days per week.

"Parents like not being thrown into full day (kindergarten)," Novy said.

Saelor said some students aren't ready for a long day of classes when they begin school in the fall, but by Christmas they are ready socially and academically to spend a couple of days at school until 3 p.m.

Next year, the students will spend only mornings at school during the first nine-week grading period, one full day during the second, two full days during the third, and three full days during the final grading period.

That expanded structure will accompany an expanded preschool program. That program will double the number of preschool sessions to four, Dawson said.

His Kids has 57 students in its preschool and elementary classes, running up to grade three. In the next two years, the school plans to add a grade per year, Dawson said.