BILL NUMBER: S8310

SPONSOR: SEWARD
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act directing the board of regents and the state
education department, to conduct a study to evaluate and make recommen-
dations on mandating kindergarten in all school districts

 
PURPOSE:

To conduct a study on the feasibility of mandating kindergarten in
school districts.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 requires the Board of Regents and the State Education Depart-
ment to conduct a study and make recommendations on mandating kindergar-
ten in all school districts including specific parameters.

Section 2 requires that no later than one year after the effective date
of this act, that the Board of Regents and State Education Department
submit such study with recommendations to the Governor and State Legis-
              

lature.

Section 3 sets forth guidelines of experts to be consulted with the
creation of these recommendations by the Board of Regents and State
Education Department.

Section 4 sets forth an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Academic studies suggest that investing in quality early childhood
education fosters life-long benefits for children including increasing
school readiness and reducing the need for remediation later on. Kinder-
garten is a pivotal step in the early education process, yet New York
State currently does not mandate kindergarten for all school districts.
Attending kindergarten, children learn valuable cognitive (thinking,
reasoning, remembering) and non-cognitive (interpersonal, integrity,
motivation) skills that are important predictors to a child's future
academic and career success, as well as his or her life wellbeing.
Research shows, during the early years of a child's life, cognitive and
non-cognitive skills are highly malleable and the skill levels a child
can achieve for each at any age depends in part on the levels of those
skills he or she achieved at younger ages. Furthermore, encouraging the
development of non-cognitive skills early in life increases the benefits
of education later in life, which is why earlier investments in educa-
tion such as making quality kindergarten programs available to all of
New York's children is so important.

This bill would direct the Board of Regents and the State Education
Department to conduct a study to evaluate and make recommendations on
mandating kindergarten in all school districts in New York State.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.