CHERRY TWP — Parents, faculty and administrators of Moniteau School District are excited for next year's expansion of their kindergarten program.

“I'm super thrilled with it,” said Amanda Montgomery of Marion Township, whose daughter will enter the new full-day, kindergarten next year. “They get so much more out of it and are not trying to cram a bunch of stuff into two hours.”

Moniteau School Board voted Jan. 28 to expand to full-day kindergarten next school year. Children around age 5 would attend for a full school day, according to Superintendent Sean Arney.

“We've been presenting all of this to the board probably since the fall,” Arney said. “We've been working, the district, administrators and teachers, all year on researching and developing our kindergarten program.”

Read more in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.