Map: Kindergarten Requirements Nationwide

States that require school districts to offer kindergarten differ on whether they must offer a full-day or half-day program.

Map: Kindergarten Requirements Nationwide

States that require school districts to offer kindergarten differ on whether they must offer a full-day or half-day program, which could be as short as 2.5 hours a day. Districts often choose to offer a full-day program even when the state does not mandate it, with the funding coming from local revenue or fees charged to parents. In other cases, such as in Minnesota, districts may receive state funding for full-day kindergarten but are not required to offer it.

Kindergarten Requirements Nationwide

* NEVADA: In certain school districts, the lowest-performing schools with the highest numbers of limited-English-proficient students will start offering free full-day kindergarten and prekindergarten programs.

* NEW JERSEY: The Abbott districts are required to offer full-day kindergarten.

* WASHINGTON: Statewide implementation of full-day kindergarten will be achieved by 2017-18.

* WYOMING: Statute requires one full-day program per district.

Source: Education Commission of the States | Design: Linda Jurkowitz

A version of this article appeared in the September 17, 2014 edition of Education Week as Kindergarten Requirements