Starting next school year, the St. Joseph School District Early Education Centers will shift from a five-day model with full and half sessions, to a four-day model with exclusively half day sessions.

Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says the shift, which was approved by the Board of Education during last month’s meeting, came after hearing feedback from staff at the Early Education Centers.

The decision, McGinnis says, also came following a review of the fiscal reports as well as reviewing data from student performance in the classroom in the previous model.

Board President Ronda Chesney says as a former preschool teacher, who taught in a half day model, says she’s excited about the opportunities this model provides for both students and teachers.