The Best Time for Education It would be a wonderful world if we could give our children a better future. Why not start by filling their little minds with a handful of education from an early age? Whether to fund full-day kindergarten has been a controversial topic in Arizona. In my research on the topic and the experience I have had with my own children, full-day daycare is a wonderful idea. There are benefits for children, parents and teachers. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” First let's talk about the benefits for children. Students have the potential to experience their greatest academic growth in kindergarten. In full-day kindergarten, research shows greater progress in literacy, mathematics, social skills and general learning skills. It's the year to shape their attitude towards learning. Research that analyzed 23 studies on full-day kindergarten indicated that “overall, students who attend full-day kindergarten demonstrate significantly better outcomes than students who attend half-day kindergarten.” As stated here, from an academic perspective it is an excellent idea. Another benefit is that low-income families enroll children in a higher-quality early education program that might otherwise be accessible in the private market. In 1997, the Minneapolis school district began testing kindergartners. Studies found that many students from low-income families began school without knowing the names of letters, how to count from one to 20, and some could not even recognize colors and shapes. Tests showed a significant gap between students of color and their white classmates. Since the Minneapolis school district began offering full-day kindergarten, it has seen a huge difference in the learning of low-income people, African Americans, American Indians and Latinos. For example, the number of letter sounds acquired by full-day students was 30% higher than their half-day peers (Pugmire, 2002). Looking at these studies and knowing that in the Mesa school district we have many low-income and diverse races, there is a wonderful benefit to supporting full-day kindergarten. For those students who need more time and support, giving it to them in the front end will save a great deal of remediation and less money in the back end. Finally some advantages for our teachers; include more time to spend with students individually and in small groups (full-day kindergarten, n.d.), more time to communicate with parents, and more time to assess students and tailor instruction to their needs and interests (kindergarten full day, n..