Longer Days at East Irondequoit Schools

     The East Irondequoit School District is joining the majority of schools in New York State to offer full day kindergarten.  90 percent of the state's school districts offer the full day program, but quite a few schools in our area only provide half day school.  Children at East Irondequoit are in class for less than three hours a day right now.  But come September, that will change.

     "To be able to sit face to face with each child maybe not once everyday but numerous times throughout the day for that conversation.  For that assistance if they need it," said Debby Merritt, a longtime Kindergarten teacher at Helendale Primary School.

     "We want to make sure that our kids are good readers, writers, thinkers and listeners.  That's the charge of the teacher is to think about how you craft the program and currently with 2 and a half hours that's the challenge," said Eric Daniels, the Helendale Primary School Principal.

     In order to make the switch to a full day, the district plans to hire ten more teachers.  That's expected to cost $400,000.  District officials say East Irondequoit taxpayers won't have to pay additional money.  The transition is paid for by state funding.