Full-day kindergarten costs more than half-day kindergarten. More money has to be put into education costs and paying salaries of teachers and aides. For example, if there are 50 incoming kindergarten students and the school uses a half-day program, those 50 students could be broken into two groups of 25 students, with 25 in the morning and 25 in the afternoon. However, with a full-day program, an additional teacher would need to be hired to accommodate two full-day classes of 25 students each. As schools deal with financial issues, this only adds to the problem.
Full-day kindergarten requires more classroom space, as more students are in the kindergarten area at one time, instead of divided into two times. This requires additional money to build more space or takes space away from another school program or grade level. This can also lead to overcrowding, as schools have to accommodate more students in the school at one time, not just in the classrooms, but in the lunch room, other activity rooms, buses, and the parking and drop-off zones for students who are driven to school.
Kindergarten is often students' first experience going to school and getting used to a school day. Half-day programs can ease them into school, while a full-day program might seem like too much at first. Students can get overwhelmed with being away from home for so many hours. Teachers who are used to working in half-day programs now have to plan for a day twice as long, increasing their workload and stress.
Full-day kindergarten gives kids less time to be kids, and to play and explore their world. While there are allotted recesses and playtime in full-day kindergarten, these are often short in length and must be balanced around academic activities. Also, with the number of recesses and amount of playtime built into a full-day kindergarten program, it can seem like full-day kindergarten is just child care for a portion of the day.