COEUR d'ALENE — Kate Orozco fielded several calls this fall from parents who live in the Coeur d'Alene School District and want their children to experience kindergarten all day.

The director of elementary education told The Press that the district supports research which shows the academic and social benefits of a full-day kindergarten program that balances academic learning with social skills and play. Full-day kindergarten has been a priority for the Coeur d'Alene School District, but the state has other educational priorities.

"Unfortunately, without the funding support of the state, it is extremely difficult financially to be able to sustain a district-wide, full-day kindergarten program for our children," Orozco said.

In a statement released Friday, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said she disagreed with a recommendation from the state's literacy committee for full-day kindergarten to be mandated statewide. Although Ybarra stated the early years of a child's life are critical for laying a foundation of learning, she said making kindergarten an all-day endeavor should not be decided by the Idaho Department of Education.

"Over 40 districts and charter schools across the state already take the opportunity to operate a full-day kindergarten either as an intervention service, or as a choice to parents," Ybarra said in the release. "In the spirit of local control, this should remain optional and is a decision best made by local districts and their communities."

Four of the elementary schools in the Coeur d'Alene School District — Borah, Fernan, Winton and Bryan — offer full-day kindergarten instruction. Superintendent Matt Handelman said there would be benefits to the state fully funding and mandating full-day kindergarten.

"Our district would have more flexibility to allocate the dollars we currently utilize for our full-day kindergarten program into other classroom and student supports," Handelman said.

Handelman added that Gov. Butch Otter's Education Task Force has prioritized reinstating discretionary funding for public education back to 2009 levels, as well as ensuring adequate funding for the top end of the career ladder to attract and retain high-caliber teachers.

"Without quality teachers, additional programs such as all-day kindergarten would not be effective," Handelman said.

Brad Murray, superintendent of the Lakeland Joint School District, told The Press Monday that the district exceeds the minimum state-required 450 hours per year of kindergarten instruction by offering sessions lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes.

"Leaving the decision for implementation of full-day kindergarten to the local school districts and school boards will ensure that a transition plan can be developed that best fits and serves the needs of the students and community in that local school district," he added.

Murray added that he would be supportive of full-day kindergarten, if it was completely funded by the state.

The Post Falls School District provides half-day kindergarten instruction based on statewide standards, as well as an option for two full days and a half-day. Superintendent Jerry Keane said Ybarra's statement is a step in the right direction because it helps students that may need extra time and assistance to catch up to their peers.

"Her suggestion may be based on the difficulty that some districts may have (with) offering the program due to the lack of classroom space," Keane said.

Research clearly shows that full-day kindergarten is very beneficial to students, he added. As such, Keane said the district would support a full-day kindergarten model funded by the state.

"However a proposal to fund full-day kindergarten must be considered in context to other K-12 education funding matters," Keane said.