Daley renews call for all-day kindergarten

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Mayor Daley on Saturday called for a mandatory daylong kindergarten program for the state.

"I hope this year that we do get a mandatory kindergarten program in Illinois," Daley said at a dedication ceremony for an Avondale community center. "Not a half day, quarter day, or 10 percent, but a full-day kindergarten."

Daley has been pushing for such a program for years, appealing to Gov. Blagojevich and state lawmakers.

"I can't tell a young mother with three children or another couple, 'You can only send your kids a half day,'" he said. "'A half a day? I'm working. My husband's working. I only get a half a day? What do I do with the other half a day?'

"That's why I asked that the General Assembly and governor pass a full-day kindergarten," Daley said.

Springfield has seen several failed attempts at lowering the age for mandatory school enrollment from 7 to 5.

About 95 percent of 5- and 6-year-olds in Illinois are already enrolled in school, according to the Illinois Family Institute, which opposes lowering the mandatory age.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the governor supports mandatory kindergarten. "The governor has been a huge proponent of helping more kids go to preschool and has been talking about all-day kindergarten as sort of a next step or something to work toward," she said.

Amazing! When Mayor Daley had a chance to send his kids to public school, he decided not to.Also not deciding to send their kids to Chicago Public Schools are:Chicago residents Rahm Emanuel,Barack Obama,and Governor Blagojevich.All Democrats that claim public education needs more funding.I guess some white Democrats want their kids to go to schools with mostly white children.Imagine that.