The question of if one’s child will be in morning or afternoon kindergarten will no longer be relevant this fall at select District 203 elementary schools.

Kindergarteners at Ellsworth, Elmwood, Beebe, Naper, Mill, River Woods and Scot will attend school all day.

These Title One schools have “more than the district average of 13 percent of their students receiving free or reduced price lunches” according to the Naperville Sun.

All day kindergarten will allow students “the best possible opportunity to achieve the District 203 mission,” according to a District 203 Presentation from January 7’s board meeting.

Total contact minutes per day will increase from 150 minutes to 350 minutes. Exposure to literacy, math, science, social studies, art, music and physical education will also increase significantly for the children, according to the presentation.

The extra time will allow increased learning in core content and for developmentally appropriate learning, according to the presentation.

The estimated construction costs for the new kindergarten program include a $300,000 Ellsworth remodel and $1,002,500 Naper Room remodel.

The total projected cost for all schools is $1,272,550, including start-up costs, operating costs, general state aid, and current extensions.