BILL NUMBER: S3926

SPONSOR: SEWARD
 
PURPOSE:

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

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 requires the NYS Board of Regents and the NYS State Education
Department to conduct a study and make recommendations on mandating
kindergarten in all school districts including specific parameters.

Section 2 requires that no later than one year after the effective date
of this act the board of regents and state education department submit
such study with recommendations to the governor and state legislature.

Section 3 sets forth experts to be consulted with the creation of these
recommendations by the regents and SED.

Section 4 provides the 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 that 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, encourag-
ing the development of non-cognitive skills early in life increases the
benefits of education later in life, which is why earlier investments in
education such as making quality kindergarten programs available to all
of New York's children is so important.

This bill would direct the regents and the SED to conduct a study to
evaluate and make recommendations on mandating kindergarten in all
school districts in New York State.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S. 8310 of 2017-2018, passed senate.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate