5 things to know about 4-year-old kindergarten in Wisconsin

With a multitude of both public and private options, seemingly endless settings and open enrollment deadlines, navigating 4-year-old kindergarten in Wisconsin may seem daunting.

That’s why we’ve boiled it down to the basics and crafted a list of the most important information to know about this chapter in your child’s life.

Here are five things to know about 4K in Wisconsin:

More: Is 4K right for your child? Educators and parents share insight on this tough decision.

Related: How much do you know about Wisconsin schools? Here are some fun facts you should know

What is 4K?

This can be a tough question to answer, since 4K programs vary widely.

While all Wisconsin public school districts must offer 5-year-old kindergarten, they are not required to offer 4K — although the vast majority of public school districts do have 4K programming.

Unlike other early childhood settings that may contain mixed age groups, in 4K programs, children are typically closer in age. Children can attend public 4K if they turn 4 on or before Sept. 1 of the school year, but Wisconsin state statute allows districts to craft their own early admission policies.

The length of the school day can vary; there are half-day as well as fully-day options, depending on the program.

It's optional

Caregivers are not required to send their child to 4K in Wisconsin, as children do not need to have attended a 4K or preschool program to enroll in kindergarten.

Technically, 5-year-old kindergarten is not required either, as children are not legally required to begin attending school until age 6. But when it comes time for first grade, students must have completed 5K or receive an exemption, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Under state statute, each local school board is required to establish a policy for such exemptions. Those policies may vary from district to district.

There are various types of 4K

Across Wisconsin, you’ll find an array of 4K programs, from nature-based programs such as the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary Oak Learning Center’s 4K in Green Bay to Arts for Kids Child Care Centers in Oshkosh and North Fond du Lac’s 4K programs, which emphasize music, dance, drama and other arts.

The main difference between public and private 4K programs is typically the tuition cost. Public 4K is tuition free in Wisconsin, whereas private 4K comes at a cost. Families may be eligible to receive a voucher to attend a private 4K program through private school choice programs.

Under current law, school districts offering public 4K can contract with early care and education programs licensed by the Department of Children and Families, which often includes child care programs and Head Starts, to provide public 4K in those settings. Regardless of where a public 4K is hosted, it is still tuition free in the vast majority of cases.

Related: Republican lawmakers hope to change 4K in Wisconsin to bolster child care. Here's what to know.

Arts for Kids’ owner Beth Caramanidis said public 4K programs in community-based settings may have to use a curriculum specified in their contract with their local school district, but private 4K programs can determine their own curriculums.

She also explained that 4K programs set in child care centers have to abide by DCF licensing regulations and therefore may have smaller student-to-staff ratios than programs set in public school buildings. This may also be the case in Head Start settings, as they must adhere to Head Start performance standards.

Some 4K programs also offer child care services, or transport children to child care, for the workday times children are not in 4K.

Curriculums differ from program to program

Just as 4K settings vary, so do their curriculums. For public 4K programs, there is no state statute dictating exactly what the curriculum must include; such decisions are left up to each school district.

Districts are encouraged to use Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards to guide their 4K curriculum. Instead of stating specifically what skills and knowledge a child should possess at a particular age or grade level, the standards present a developmental continuum, ranging from birth to first grade, for various facets of development.

Regulated child care programs that offer their own 4K programming are also encouraged to use WMELS.

Throughout early childhood, children learn through play, said First 5 Fox Valley outreach navigator Susan Steinhofer. This is why parents will likely find a plethora of play-based programs when looking at 4K options.

“4K should be, at its basic, a play-based program,” Steinhofer, who helped a number of Wisconsin school districts set up their 4K programs, previously told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. “Here’s the magic of early childhood: Play is how children learn best. So, by creating an environment with lots of opportunities for play, and planned, intentional play with real objects and materials and manipulatives, those children are going to be learning those academic skills.”

Many districts consider one of the main goals of 4K to be preparing students for kindergarten. As a result, many districts consider their kindergarten curriculum when designing 4K in terms of academic, social-emotional and other skills.

“How to follow the expectations of a classroom, how to follow multi-step directions, how to play and engage are all things that we focus on (in 4-K) so that when they are in kindergarten when the academics do ramp up quite a bit, the social skills and the readiness to attend to learning are mastered,” explained Jared Deli, the Hortonville Area School District's 4K coordinator and principal of Hortonville Elementary.

You can open enroll in public 4K

In Wisconsin, open enrollment allows students to go to a school district other than the one they reside in.

Those looking to open enroll their child in a public 4K can do so if the resident school district offers 4K. For more information on 4K open enrollment, visit https://bit.ly/4kopenenrollment.

More: 10 common Wisconsin open enrollment questions answered

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Here's what to know about 4-year-old kindergarten in Wisconsin