What is kindergarten?
Kindergarten is a public school program to help young children get ready for 1st grade. Kindergarten helps children become ready for school by developing their social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and language skills. Most children start kindergarten when they are five years old. Kindergarten attendance is not mandatory in Massachusetts. However, Massachusetts regulations require all public school districts to offer a free kindergarten program for their residents. The kindergarten programs must include a minimum of 425 hours of structured learning time per academic school year, or 2.5 hours per day.
