OUR PURPOSE

The Utah Full-Day Kindergarten Now! Coalition has been a joint project of several community organizations and associations. The Coalition was activated with the support and involvement of staff from the Utah State Board of Education, as well as administrators and educators working in Utah's Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Our purpose is to advocate for full state funding for optional full-day kindergarten programs that serve all interested and willing families. 

Since 2019, core members of our Coalition have been: 

• Researching kindergarten policies, practices and access in Utah and other states; 

• Reviewing kindergarten performance metrics at both the state and local levels; 

• Meeting with district and charter school leaders to gather insight and input; 

• Lobbying to increase kindergarten funding via the Optional Enhanced Kindergarten program, as well as through new funding explicitly for the expansion of optional FDK programs statewide;

• Gauging support for optional FDK expansion among parents, teachers and the general public; and

• Getting the word out about the limited and inequitable optional FDK access in Utah.