Study finds full-day kindergarten reduces burdens on mothers

PROVO, Utah — Full-day kindergarten can reduce burdens and stresses on mothers while not taking too much time away from the family, according to a new study.

Researchers from Brigham Young University and Notre Dame looked at the impacts of full-time kindergarten on the family.

They found that mothers were impacted the most.

“This surprised us,” said Dr. Jocelyn Wikle, assistant professor at BYU’s School of Family Life. “We thought that fathers probably would show some adjustments too. But really, we’re seeing that moms are the ones that are most impacted when kids’ school schedules change.” 

Using data from several national sources, they found that full-day kindergarten reduces burdens on mothers such as arranging mid-day transportation.

“Mom are doing less transportation around mid-day, around that lunchtime hour, when kids are in full-day kindergarten,” said Wikle. “That can have big consequences in the way a mother structures her overall day.”

Research shows this reduced need for transportation increases flexibility in a mother’s schedule, leaving additional time for work or other responsibilities.

Full-time kindergarten can also act as a subsidized childcare, helping mothers and families save money.

Full-day kindergarten still space for quality family time

Despite extra time at school, research shows full-day kindergarten only reduces a child’s time with their mother by 57 minutes compared to children in half-day kindergarten. It also hardly reduces quality time within the family.

“Mothers were not necessarily decreasing the quality time that they were spending with their kids,” said Wikle. “So the amount of time that parents were reading, playing, spending one-on-one time with their kids was not sensitive to being in school for these extra hours.”

Wikle said a source of inspiration for this study is helping families find extra support if it is needed.

“Full-day kindergarten is a choice for parents… it’s an option,” she said. “It’s nice that we’re providing this extra support for families for those who need it and who can use it to further their family goals.”

This is the first year all school districts in Utah are required to offer full-day kindergarten for families.

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