Backgrounder


Phasing In Full-Day Learning For Four- And Five-Year-Olds

October 27, 2009

Ontario will start phasing in full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds next September as part of the province's plan to build a well-educated workforce.

The program got its start in 2007 when Premier Dalton McGuinty committed to introducing full-day early learning for four- and five-year olds. In November 2007, Premier McGuinty appointed Dr. Charles Pascal to recommend the best way forward. Dr. Pascal consulted with many parents and members of the education, child care and municipal sectors about early learning for children and supports for families.

On June 15, 2009, Dr. Pascal presented his report, “With Our Best Future in Mind: Implementing Early Learning in Ontario.” The report contains a number of recommendations including how to introduce full-day learning to Ontario students, how to improve education for children up to 12 and how to increase supports for young families.

Today, Premier McGuinty announced Ontario's plan to move ahead with the extended full-day early-learning program for four- and five-year-olds. The program was carefully developed to support the province's long-term vision of how to improve education for children up to 12. Dr. Pascal's overall plan will continue to push the government's economic and education policy for years to come.

Teachers and early childhood educators will work together to help children learn during the regular school day. Parents may also enrol their child for extended hours for a reasonable fee, before and after regular school hours (for example, 7– 9 a.m. and 3:30 – 6 p.m.). This will make it easier for parents to get to and from work and will ensure their children have an integrated learning program for the whole day. The extended-day program will be led by registered Early Childhood Educators, and subsidies will be available to some families based on need.

Ontario will call on its community partners to plan and develop before- and after-school programs for six- to twelve-year olds where there is sufficient parent demand.

This new approach to early learning offers children an enriched learning environment designed to help them develop the foundational social, emotional, academic and physical skills necessary to succeed in school and in life. By giving our kids an early start in school, we're setting them on the road to success and building a stronger Ontario for us all.

How phase-one schools will be selected:

Schools that will offer full-day early learning in September 2010 will be announced early in the new year, in time for parents to register their children in the new programs. School boards, working with their partner municipalities, will recommend schools based on the following guidelines:

  1. Available space – the program can be introduced at a school that has classroom space available and does not require new additions or renovations.
  2. Impact on existing local child care – school boards and municipalities will work together to assess whether communities will be best served by selecting schools with existing child care programs, schools near existing licensed child care or schools in neighbourhoods where no child care is currently available for four- and five-year-olds.
  3. Local need – school boards will be encouraged to consider the various needs of all the communities that they serve and how the program could meet those needs. A portion of the phase-one schools will serve low-income neighbourhoods.

Supporting Early Learning and Working With Municipalities:

The government will work with school boards and municipalities to develop and implement full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds. The partners will also work to enhance and stabilize existing child care and other programs for young children. Full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds provides an opportunity to create a comprehensive service system for younger children and their families.

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