There's a reason Ohio pays for all-day kindergarten in school districts with high percentages of low-income families. The relevance of all-day programming in preparing young children for regular school is increasingly apparent. Given all that is known about the value of all-day kindergarten, the question is why Ohio leaves all other districts to pay for it themselves or charge tuition to cover the costs.

Studies over the years indicate the range of benefits that accrue to children when they become familiar early with school routines. They adjust better to a regular school schedule and attendance. They improve faster on emotional, language and social skills. Full-day programming increases the time teachers spend with children, providing intellectual stimulation, particularly for those from families lacking the means to provide a rich early education background.

Investment in all-day kindergarten improves the odds of academic achievement and lowers the need and cost of intervention in grade school.

It isn't surprising that demand is pushing the national trend toward all-day kindergarten. About 70 percent of Ohio school districts offer all-day programs, with more children in those classrooms this year than in the half-day classrooms. The educational benefits are critical as academic standards rise. Further, all-day kindergarten meets an increasing social need as more parents are in the work force. Interesting, too, as the Plain school district is finding out, the program may be as effective an enrollment tool as any. Families who enroll are more likely to keep their children in the district past kindergarten.

Stretched for operating funds, the Tallmadge school district plans to start charging tuition for the first time for a full-day program, as do Green and Stow in Summit County.

Marc Dann, the state attorney general, informed the Ohio Department of Education last year that districts have no authority to charge fees, as some were doing, to cover all-day kindergarten. Legislators swiftly altered the law, permitting tuition charges on a sliding scale based on family income.

The reluctance at the Statehouse to pay for a full program is telling: It is one thing to tout the importance of solid early childhood education. It is quite another to assume responsibility for it.