Sherri Kuehl was thrilled when her son Kenny came home from school during the first week of school able to say his ABCs. She had tried unsuccessfully to teach her son the alphabet before the school year started.

“We’re normal parents trying to get him ready for school,” Kuehl said, adding that she was worried that her son would struggle as a kindergartner at Clover Valley Elementary.

Fortunately, she was able to get her son some extra help when he was picked to attend an all-day kindergarten class this year.

School officials instituted a full-day kindergarten class this year free of charge to parents. The additional class time helps ensure kindergartners meet standards and can be successful in later grades.

“We’re always concerned with sending kindergartners on to first grade ready to go,” said Ric Packard, principal at Clover Valley Elementary. He said that students who fall behind in kindergarten often have difficulty catching up in later grades.

Before starting elementary school, all kindergartners are evaluated and students who appear to need the most help are invited to participate in the all-day kindergarten. That effectively gives such a student twice as much instructional time to meet the same standards of other students.

Early indications seem to suggest the program is effective. All students in the class met reading goals while 17 of the 19 students met the math goal. Teacher Lynne Tolson said the other two should be able to meet the math standards soon. They just mixed up the numerals three and four when evaluated.

In addition, parents seem to be appreciative of the program. Packard said 100 percent of the parents with children in the class participated in recent parent teacher conferences.

One parent has already noticed a difference in her son’s performance.

Oak Harbor resident Alice Noland said her five-year-old son Jakob has been passing all his classes this school year.

“It’s just a dramatic improvement,” Noland said. “It’s nice to see where Jakob is benefiting.”

She was worried that her son would struggle through kindergarten like her eldest son, Thelon, did a year ago.

When she first heard of the all-day program, she thought it might be difficult for her son to adjust.

“I always thought all-day was too hard,” Noland said. She said her son had some difficulties during the first weeks of the class but he’s adjusted and now Jakob is passing his classes.

Sherri Kuehl expressed similar sentiments.

“I love all-day kindergarten,” Kuehl said. “I wish they wouldn’t have half-day kindergarten.”

She said that Kenny has started to read and also retains the information he learns in class.

“There’s so much more time in the day for instruction,” Kuehl said.

Throughout the day, Tolson uses a variety of activities to help her young students learn the basics of math and reading.

Some of the activities during a recent school day ranged from learning the order of words on a page to using unifix blocks that introduce students to basic math concepts.

“One of the keys to the program is to work in small groups,” Tolson said, explaining that small groups allow for more individual time with students.

Another thing that helps with a student is a break after lunch. But don’t call it nap time, the students go “camping” to take a break from the coursework of the day.

Tolson makes sure the students have plenty of opportunity to move around throughout the day. The students also know what is expected of them because Tolson outlines each day’s lessons on a picture board.

This is the first time the school has offered an all-day kindergarten for students without charging parents.

The all-day kindergarten program at Clover Valley Elementary School receives $27,500 in special federal Title I funding aimed at lower income populations. Schools typically receive only enough funding to provide a half day of kindergarten.

Two other schools in the Oak Harbor School District, Hillcrest Elementary and Oak Harbor Elementary, offer a full day kindergarten program. However, those schools must charge $235 a month in tuition for families wishing to participate in extended program.

Kuehl said the program at Clover Valley is a big help for her family with its limited resources. She said she wouldn’t be able to afford a program otherwise.

Packard said using the Title I funding provides more opportunities for low-income families. That is a big help at Clover Valley Elementary School, where more than half the students qualify for free or reduced priced lunches.