NEW RICHLAND — Kindergarten students in the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva School District will have about 30 days more in school next fall.

At the April 18 board meeting it was approved to lengthen the kindergarten’s all-day schedule. Currently kindergartners go every other day until returning from Thanksgiving break, when they would go every day. With the new measure kindergartners will start an every day schedule after MEA break in October.

“It’s advocated across all grade levels to increase opportunity for instruction,” Superintendent Kevin Wellen said. “This is a better opportunity.”

Wellen said parents of prospective, current and former kindergartners were surveyed about calendar changes to find out what they would prefer.

“We’re trying to balance transition time for parents and students who are starting kindgarten for the first time,” Wellen said.

He said there are academic benefits for students who have more classroom time with teachers, and that extending the all-day kindergarten has been an ongoing discussion between himself and the elementary coordinator.