At least a portion of Northgate School District’s full-day kindergarten program could be restored, thanks to a state grant that will provide some funding.

Northgate eliminated full-day kindergarten in budget cuts last month. The program had been funded by a state accountability block grant of nearly $200,000, funds that were drastically cut in Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2011-12 budget for Pennsylvania.

Some of that money -- about $89,000 -- has been restored, with the requirement that it be used by school districts for the same purpose it used the prior grant funds, according to Northgate superintendent Dr. Reggie Bonfield.

While not enough to completely restore Northgate’s full-day kindergarten program, the money could allow the district to offer a full day of instruction to the children who need it most.

Board president Susan Nolan said that children would be tested, with those identified as needing additional instruction offered a place in an extended kindergarten program.

According to assistant to the superintendent Kathleen Gallagher, the children selected would be in a regular kindergarten classroom in the morning, but stay on for a special program in the afternoon when regular students head home or to another program.

Two organizations -- the YMCA and Providence -- have announced plans to offer extended kindergarten programs to Northgate students, Gallagher said. Those programs, however, would cost parents.

The new extended kindergarten would be similar to an old program offered by Northgate until it switched to full-day kindergarten just a few years ago. Gallagher said that the “Read to Succeed” program provided additional instruction for children identified by testing.

An advocate of maintaining full-day kindergarten, board member Dr. Shannon Smithey agreed that the district should accept the grant.

“If the best that we can do is extend kindergarten for the kids at the bottom, let’s at least do that,” she said.

“It would be silly to waste it,” agreed board member Marita Bartholomew.

The mechanics of how the program would be offered could take some fiddling. Currently, 50 children are registered for kindergarten at Bellevue Elementary, and 20 at Avalon Elementary, according to Bonfield. He said that if history holds true, another 10 to 13 students could be enrolled during August.

As the district has done in the past, those students’ parents may not get to decide which school their children attend. That may become even more true if the children are eligible for the extended program.

Bonfield said that 1.5 teachers are now assigned to the kindergarten classes at Bellevue, and one teacher at Avalon. The extended program potentially could add a half position at each of the schools.

That does not mean, however, that all the students at Avalon will automatically be included in the extended kindergarten. Depending on testing results, some Bellevue residents could find their children going to Avalon Elementary if they want them in the full-day program.

Testing is expected to be done in August, with the parents of registered children notified of the date by the district.

The school board voted unanimously at a meeting Monday to accept the accountability block grant. Smithey participated by telephone, and board member Tony Barbarino was absent.