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.”

Montgomery said she has experience with both formats.

“Actually, my oldest went to all-day kindergarten in Chicora (Elementary, Karns City School District), and my middle daughter went for half-days at Dassa (McKinney Elementary School) last year,” she said. “All-day was so much better for them.”

Montgomery said the all-day format helps parents with multiple children.

“I have helped relatives getting kids on and off the bus, and I believe it will make it a lot easier,” she said. “A lot of parents both work, so all-day will make it so they don't have to find a sitter to get the kids on or off the bus.”

Montgomery said it also further acclimates children to the learning environment they will see for the next 12 years. She said the full-day kindergartners will have more one-on-one time with teachers, and they will be able to socialize more with their classmates.

“Having only two hours doesn't give them a lot of time to do much at all,” Montgomery said.

Arney said the administration plans to add two additional classes and two new teachers.

“Our population has been pretty stagnant if not decreasing over the years, but I think adding two sections would be perfect for our needs,” Arney said. “If we need to go down or up to meet the needs of the kids, then we will do that.”

Teachers at Moniteau have their own insights on the expanded program.

Heather Baptiste, a kindergarten teacher of four years, has 15 years of experience in teaching at preschool and sixth grade in addition to kindergarten.

“Students will experience special classes such as music, library, art, S.T.R.E.A.M. and P.E., which are currently not provided within our half- day program,” Baptiste said. “This will increase fine- and gross-motor skills as well as other skills within our students.”

Christine Fleeger, a kindergarten teacher of five years, started as a substitute teacher for Moniteau 15 years ago.

“Because we currently have two classes of students, I am looking forward to only having one class, where I am able to get to know my students better,” Fleeger said. “In turn, I will be more capable to meet my students' needs which will enable me to develop more effective lessons.”

Jen Fleeger, who coordinates kindergarten tutoring, said the true benefit for pupils is having more time to repeat the things they learn. She said honing their skills through repetition will help them excel.

“Students benefit from multiple exposures to new information,” Jen Fleeger said. “The extra time will enable our system to ensure essential foundational literacy skills are growing and essential content is mastered.”