half day/short day kindergarten?
My family and I are moving to Berkeley at the end of this summer. Are there any half day/short day kindergartens in Berkeley, either public or private? We haven't been able to check out any of the public schools but all of the private schools we've checked out have been 830am - 330pm. I would prefer to have a shorter school day - are there any schools that end earlier or start later?
Jun 2, 2025
Parent Replies
Berkeley Public kindergarten is just over 5 hours. Our school is 8 to 1:20. A couple hours shorter than what you were thinking, but not sure if that's short enough.
Walden Center and School has a shorter day for kindergarten students - 8:45 to 2:30. The class structure for kindergarten (and also for older students) includes a lot of outdoor & movement time (and the arts: music/drama/visual are AMAZING) as well. The kindergarten classroom is set in a converted little cottage, so it has an adorable home-y feel, and the kindergarteners have their own play structure and sandbox area, but are also wonderfully intergrated into the rest of the school. Here's a link to the kindergarten classroom's schedule & some details about how the curriculum is set-up for kindergarteners - it's a very sweet way to start one's schooling journey: https://waldencenterschool.org/life-at-walden/lower-group/
Kindergarten is 8:10 to 1:30 at our elementary. Since many come for the university, I'll add that public schools are open to every resident regardless of immigration status or length of stay. Berkeley offers some of the best schools in the country. Enrollment for fall has already started so I'd contact them ASAP if you want a spot at a specific school.
All the public elementary schools in Berkeley have fairly short days for kindergarten—either 8-130 or 9-230 basically. You can see the exact schedules by clicking on each school here: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/schools/elementary-schools/
Be aware that you won’t be able to apply until you have proof of a local address so if you’re not applying until the end of the summer you may be placed in any of the schools (not just in your zone) since enrollment in the first round starts in January so you will be applying quite late.
Most of the public schools in Berkeley has kindergartens that starts at 8 am and ends at 1:20 pm. there are a few that starts later and ends later e.g., starts at 9:10 am and ends at 2:25 pm. The days get slightly longer after kindergarten (dismissal at 2:10 pm) except for early release day (Wednesday for us).
I think Albany (next city over) public schools used to have even shorter kinder days but not sure if that has changed. (My info is a few years old.)
Berkeley public schools are separated into zones and are a lottery, so you don't necessarily get to pick your school. Some schools have K dismissal at 1:25, the others are 2:15. For example, Ruth Acty kindergarten is out at 1:25, Rosa Parks at 2:15. Sounds like you haven't registered yet, so you may just get placed where there is room. You won't really have a choice, but all of the elementary schools are good.
Kindergarten at EBGIS in Emeryville is from 8:30-2:15, with drop off starting as early as 8 (no extra fee) and aftercare options that go from 2:15-6 for an extra fee.
Welcome to Berkeley! My daughter attends a half day kindergarten at Berkeley Rose Waldorf School. The kindergarten runs from 8:15/30am -1pm with the option for aftercare. It’s also possible to “drop in” to the aftercare program as needed. The school is located in north Oakland, near Piedmont Avenue. Previously the school was in Berkeley, so many of the families in attendance reside in Berkeley (and hence the name!) It’s a beautiful school and community - we have 3 children there and have truly loved our experience!
All of the BUSD schools end much earlier for kinders. Ruth Acty, for example, runs 8:15am to 1:30pm. And depending on the school, there are different after-school options for those who need care in the afternoon. Good luck with your move!
I can't recommend Berkeley Rose Waldorf School enough! I have a rising 2nd grader, a rising TK kiddo, and an infant at home and have had the older two at the school for the past two years. The school day for K runs 8:3am0-1pm and at least one of those days is spent entirely outside in the Claremont Canyon. Our children have loved their experience at BRWS and we are beyond grateful for the amazing teachers that have guided them both. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk in person.
Welcome to Berkeley. The public kindergarten here run the same amount of time as each other (approx 5.5 hours) and have different start times.
Early start school (Malcolm X etc) are 8:00-1:30
Late start (Rosa Parks, BAM, etc) are 9:00-2:30
You can register in the district when you physically move to Berkeley. Your child will be assigned a school based on what schools still have space that late in the summer.
We live in Albany (bordering Berkeley), where the public school kindergarten hours are 8:30am-1:30pm. There are opportunities for interdistrict enrollment applications, but I don't know how competitive it is. In Berkeley public schools, it looks like hours vary by school; the two examples I looked up were 8:10-1:30 and 9:00-2:15. You can find all the schools and their times at http://berkeleyschools.net, unfortunately I don't know much about how public school enrollment works in BUSD but I'm sure someone here can tell you!
BUSD Kindergarten classes are a shorter day, though not half day. The school my kids went to was 8:10-1:30. The rest of the grades are done at 2:20. Hope this helps!
BUSD schools are 1 hr shorter for TK and K than older grades. Our school was 8:08 to 1:30 for Kinder.
Berkeley Public Schools (BUSD) are great, and TK/Kindergarten gets out an hour earlier than 1st-5th. The elementary schools have slightly different bell schedules (some are earlier/later - you can look up bell schedules on each school's website), but our Kindergartener is in school 8:10am-1:30pm. Not sure if that meets your "half day" expectations.
BUSD Kindergarten is either 8am-1:30pm or 9am-2:30pm depending on the school. I haven’t heard about any shorter day kinder programs; most likely you’d have to keep your kiddo in a half day preschool if you need that kind of schedule. Kindergarten isn’t mandatory in California, you just have to have a kid enrolled in school by age 6 which could be first grade. best of luck!!
Kindergarten at Aurora (technically in Oakland, but very close to the Berkeley border) ends at 2:20 (2pm on Wednesdays). We can’t recommend the school enough. Our whole family has been very happy there!!