What's with all the fuss over an additional half day of kindergarten? Since when is giving a kid a leg up on his or her school career not a good thing?

A $36 million bill by state Sen. Carol Williams, D-Missoula, and backed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer, would fund full-day kindergarten for public schools that choose to go that route.

Supporters insist that full-day kindergarten has been proven to give children an educational boost that keeps on boosting throughout their school years. It increases test scores, reduces disciplinary problems, and is especially beneficial for poor and minority students. That's just the kind of improvement this country needs.

Some people feel that kindergarten-aged kids are too young to be sent to school for a full day. Well, here's the good news: If parents decided their little guy isn't ready, they don't have to send him. (Currently the state pays for half-day kindergarten, and parents can opt out of that, too.)

Most of us who went to kindergarten have fond memories of the experience, including the throw rug that was so handy for naps. What we didn't realize at the time was that we also were learning how to learn.

Given the reality that full-day kindergarten has been shown to help children get off on the right foot, and therefore be less likely to fall behind and perhaps never catch up, many parents are likely to agree that it is well worth giving up a few episodes of SpongeBob.