Maple Grove to add free, full-day kindergarten

BATTLE GROUND — Battle Ground Public Schools will implement its first full-day state-funded kindergarten in the fall at Maple Grove School.

Unlike the district’s existing tuition-based, full-day kindergarten, the bill is being paid by the state.

Last month, the Washington Legislature voted to provide some funding for full-day kindergarten in its 2015-17 biennial budget to schools with the highest percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches. Those schools that qualify can offer full-day programs to all incoming kindergartners, regardless of family income.

With 48 percent of Maple Grove’s students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, it is the highest-poverty school in the district. It also is the district’s only school with enough available classrooms to implement full-day kindergarten for all incoming students.

Meanwhile, several other schools will continue to offer tuition-based, full-day kindergarten.

It likely will take several years to implement state-funded full-day kindergarten throughout the district, said Superintendent Mark Hottowe said. He said the district would like to offer full-day kindergarten at more schools, but can’t.

“The state Legislature put us in a tough spot by making it all or nothing,” Hottowe said.