Pennridge committee backs phased rollout of full‑day kindergarten, recommends one‑year lottery pilot

The Pennridge School District Curriculum & Student Services Committee on Tuesday recommended a phased approach to implementing full‑day kindergarten, asking administrators to open registration this spring that will include a lottery for full‑day seats for the 2025–26 school year and to roll out full districtwide programming the following year.

Committee leaders said the phase‑in (referred to in the presentation as “Option 2”) would provide more full‑day opportunities than the current targeted model while giving staff time to resolve logistical issues such as staffing, transportation and classroom space. "Option 2, that phase in, is the option that the committee felt most strongly about, for multiple reasons," said Maria Foley, a Pennridge principal and co‑chair of the committee.

The recommendation follows months of committee work involving about 20 participants — kindergarten teachers, school psychologists, instructional coaches, reading specialists, administrators and board members — who examined the district’s current mix of half‑day AM/PM programs, targeted full‑day slots and developmental…