Watertown, Wisconsin is proud to be the home to the first kindergarten in this county. In 1856, Margaret Schurz started this German speaking program for children two through five years of age. In 1873 the first public school kindergarten open in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It provided a program for the city's four and five year old children. More and more school districts began providing kindergarten and then in 1973 the Wisconsin legislature required school districts to provide 5 year old kindergarten. In the late 1990's kindergartens began to expand to offer full day programs. Learn more about kindergartens by exploring these sites:
- Trends in 5K program types
- Early Childhood: Full Day or Half-Day Kindergarten?
- Early Childhood: Guiding Practices Early Childhood Education
- List of 5K program types by district
- 2009 WISCONSIN ACT 41 Assembly Bill 119 Effective Date: October 21, 2009 FIVE-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTEN ATTENDANCE AND FIRST GRADE ADMISSION. The new law requires a child who is enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten in a public or private school to regularly attend kindergarten during the school year. Click on these links for a copy of the act and a summary of the act prepared by the WI Association of School Boards.
For questions about this information, contact Sherry Kimball (608) 267-9625