Indiana elementary school first in state to test out four-day school week

One Indiana elementary school is the first in the state to implement four-day school weeks. Students at Vinton Elementary School in Lafayette will add an hour and a half to their school days this year, but they’ll only go to school Monday through Thursday.

Vinton Elementary School Principal Cindy Preston said administrators began to consider a four-day school week after staff expressed their support through a survey.

The school surveyed parents next.

“It was a strong 50 percent that were in favor of it,” Preston said. “25 percent were opposed, and another 25 percent were undecided and still had questions.”

The biggest concern was child care. The local YMCA and a nearby church stepped up to offer affordable child care on Fridays. However, Preston said not many students are signed up so far. Out of nearly 400 kids, less than 20 have been signed up for the two combined programs.

“Will it pick up? Will there be more numbers when parents actually have to live this next week and think, oh gosh, we do need to figure this out? Or will it decrease as time goes on because parents are able to adjust things and figure things out on their own?” Preston said. “We’ll see.”

Preston added that some administrators she spoke with at schools that switched to four-day weeks in other states initially had to help parents cover child care. However, some of those schools were able to stop providing on-site child care because parents figured it out and there was no longer a need for it.

The YMCA child care program starts at $25 a day but provides scholarships for those who need them. It will be held at the elementary school. The school will also offer free meals for students on Fridays.

Despite some initial hesitation about the new schedule, Preston said parents are generally on board with it now.

“For the majority, they're excited and they're very positive about it,” she said. “I talked to a couple different kindergarten moms who said they are so thankful for it because their kindergartner might be their youngest and they're going to miss them. And they're looking forward to having that long weekend with them.”

Preston has also heard from a parent who has Fridays off from work and is excited to spend time with their kids and a mom whose son had to miss school regularly for medical appointments. This year, that student will not have to miss as much class because his mom can schedule appointments on Friday.

Preston is hopeful many other students' attendance records will improve, too.

“Friday is always our highest absent day because families would leave early and head out of town,” she said.
 

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In addition to reducing absenteeism, Preston said she hopes the shorter week will improve student and staff mental health. Her goal is to give students and teachers a longer break so they come back to school the next week and “give us everything they have.”

Families who do not want to switch to four-day weeks had the option to transfer to a different elementary school within the corporation — and transportation was provided. Preston said nine students left, but 17 new students enrolled at Vinton to try out the new schedule.

“We’ve got great families here that they're just willing to give it a try,” she said.

The state approved Vinton Elementary School’s new schedule for three years. Preston said teachers from other schools across the state have contacted her to learn more.

“I've had a lot of teachers that I taught with reach out and say, ‘Oh my gosh, we're all watching and we're cheering for you. Like, we hope this is successful because we would love to see it spread elsewhere,’” she said.

Preston expects that it will take some time for teachers at Vinton to adjust to the four-day school week over the next year. However, she said her staff is up for the challenge.

“We said, ‘This is your time, guys. It's your time to shine. Let's see what we can do here, what kind of a difference we can make,” Preston said. “We'll just have to see. All eyes are on us.”

Kirsten is Indiana Public Broadcasting's education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.