Proposals to make all-day kindergarten available statewide or perhaps only for schools that serve disadvantaged students will be discussed today when the board meets at Bridgerland Applied Technology College in Logan.

For many, kindergarten conjures up memories of milk and cookies, show-and-tell and nap time, but there is little time in today's kindergarten for such time-wasters.

Today's kindergarten is revved-up prep time for the rigors of first grade in the age of No Child Left Behind.

Research suggests that stretching kindergarten's hectic half-day schedule to a more leisurely full day is beneficial, especially for students facing educational challenges.

An overview of research about all-day kindergarten - and various cost scenarios for implementing it - will be presented to the Board of Education by the state Office of Education curriculum director Brett Moulding and Christine Kearl, newly appointed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. as Utah's deputy for public education.

"The governor has wanted to do something that would close the achievement gap, and targeting kindergarten is right on," said Kearl, formerly associate state superintendent of schools. "The first year is critical in the success of a child's educational experience."

The presentation will quote from recent studies compiled by the WestEd educational policy group, which associates full-day kindergarten with improvement in school attendance, socialization and academic skills.

Students with low English language skills receive particular benefit, according to the studies, showing faster gains in literacy and language development compared with half-day kindergarten students. The research also suggests all-day kindergartens benefit stressed-out families by simplifying transportation and child-care issues.

Though the price of implementing all-day kindergarten is substantial (an estimated $42 million annually to provide it statewide), the investment might reduce future remediation costs for students who lag behind after a slow start in school.

Some states already stretch their kindergarten days in an effort to boost achievement. West Virginia funds mandatory full-day kindergarten for all students, and several other states, including Arizona and New Mexico, pay for all-day kindergarten at twice the level of half-day programs without making it mandatory.

Sending children to kindergarten is optional in Utah, although most parents do.

The state funds its kindergartens at 55 percent of the rate for first grade, whether they are half-day or all-day - making Utah one of 19 states where school districts face a financial deterrent to offering full-day kindergarten.

Some school districts offer full-day kindergartens in selected schools anyway.

In San Juan School District, full-day kindergarten is the only option on the Navajo and Ute reservations. In Blanding, two all-day kindergarten classes targeting students at risk are offered alongside traditional half-day classes. Money generated by federal lands in the district defrays the cost.

It's a worthwhile investment, district Superintendent Douglas Wright said.

"We had students coming to school less than prepared because of language issues with the Navajo and Ute languages and lack of literacy."

The results in San Juan County are impressive, Kearl said. "We're seeing increased test scores because of the early childhood prevention programs."

Though full-day kindergarten's advantages for high-risk students are supported by research, the benefits to students from enriched learning environments is less clear, Kearl said. But veteran kindergarten teacher Carolee Flannery, of Centerville Elementary School, sees many reasons all students would benefit.

Kindergarten is not the relaxed experience many parents remember, Flannery said. Students are expected to read and write when they leave her classroom.

"It's a heavy responsibility when they come with so little experience," she said. "I just cram it down their throats in the 2 1/2 hours I have them. The thing that has gone by the wayside is the social aspect and the play time. I'm so worried about having them prepared for first grade that sometimes I feel like I'm making them grow up too soon."

All-day kindergarten is not just about easing day care issues for working parents or making life less hectic for teachers, Flannery said. It could give children a more positive introduction to school, and help to level the playing field for students who are already behind.

"One of the biggest challenges in kindergarten is that the children come at all different levels," she said. "Some don't even know their colors, and others are reading fluently."

Full-day classes would allow for more one-on-one instruction, said Flannery.

Because she teaches in a school with a low population of students at risk, Flannery probably won't see all-day kindergarten anytime soon. Even if funding is found, other issues must be resolved before all-day kindergartens can spring up throughout the state.

"It's also an issue of limited classroom space and the number of highly qualified early childhood teachers we could employ," Kearl said.

Any recommendations the state school board makes today will be nonbinding. It will be up to the Legislature to mandate and fund all-day kindergartens, Kearl said.

If that happens, Kearl expects a gradual phase-in, starting in locations of highest need, but possibly expanding statewide within five or six years.

In any case, Utah parents will retain the right to keep their children out of kindergarten, Kearl said.

And, even if full-day kindergartens become common in the future, half-day programs still will be offered for families that prefer them.