To the editor:

A child planning to start kindergarten in a given year must be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31 of that year. He may wait a year if his birthday is in the late summer, so he, as well as some of his classmates, may be 6 years old or nearly so. He will probably have had two or three years of preschool/day care experience, as will many of the others. They are clearly ready for school and ready for all-day school.

In these times, both parents are often employed full time outside the home; sometimes there is only one parent. All-day kindergarten provides a stable and secure learning environment without a great deal of shuffling around. The children of today will need the broadest and deepest education possible to prepare them to be the adults of tomorrow. We can already foresee the many problems they will have to face. They should be equipped with a good solid start for their K-12 years of education by going to all-day kindergarten.

Sarah M. Casad,

Lawrence