Backgrounder


Phase Two: Full-Day Kindergarten For Four- and Five-Year-Olds

June 15, 2010

A full day of learning early in life can help improve a child's reading, writing and math skills and provide a strong foundation for future learning. Ontario's full-day kindergarten program will help prepare Ontario children for grade one and give them a better chance of finishing high school, going to post-secondary education and getting a good job.

This September the full-day kindergarten program will be available in nearly 600 schools and in September 2011, it will be available in over 200 more schools. That means, by 2011, up to 50,000 children will benefit from the program. The goal is to have full-day kindergarten offered in all elementary schools by 2015-16.

The list of schools that will offer the program in 2010-11 and 2011-12 is available at Ontario.ca/EarlyLearning.

The introduction of full-day kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds is the next step in Ontario's plan to improve education, create a stronger school system and build a well-educated work force.

How schools are selected

Schools were selected to host full-day kindergarten in September 2011 based on recommendations from school boards. To develop their recommended list, boards:

  • consulted with local boards, municipalities and local Best Start networks.
  • considered the various needs of all the communities that they serve and recommended schools in areas that may not have been part of the first year of implementation.
  • prioritized schools that had space available or that required minimal renovations.
  • identified schools that could benefit from targeted government funding to build or renovate more than 150 classrooms for full-day learning in 2011.

Integrated before- and after-school programs

Full-day kindergarten will give our youngest students a stronger start on learning. The program will also provide parents with the option to enrol their child in the school's fee-based, extended-day program, which provides before- and after-school programming, (for example, 7– 9 a.m. and 3:30 – 6 p.m.). Registered early childhood educators will be responsible for the before- and after-school programs. They will also work alongside the teacher during the regular school day.

Boards are currently calculating fees for the before- and after-school programs and will be posting those fees on their websites before the end of the school year. The fees are expected to recover the cost of running the program. Fees will be set annually and will be approved through a regular board meeting that is open to the public.

Subsidy eligibility and amounts will be determined according to the current child care subsidy eligibility rules and income test. The ministry is working with municipalities and school boards to determine the details of the subsidy process.

The integrated before- and after-school program will provide children with more opportunities to learn and grow – and make life easier for their parents.

Play-based learning

The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program curriculum is a child-centred, integrated, extended-day program of learning for four- and five-year-old children. Through instruction and play-based learning, children will develop their capacity in language and mathematics, engage in healthy physical activities and the arts, and develop socially and emotionally through interaction with their peers and the adults who teach and guide them. This will provide our youngest students with opportunities to socialize with their peers and develop the academic and social skills necessary for school, including laying the foundation for each child's reading, writing and math skills and helping children make a smoother transition to Grade 1.

Broader vision for Ontario's children and families

Dr. Pascal's June report, “With Our Best Future in Mind: Implementing Early Learning in Ontario” contained a number of recommendations including how to introduce full-day learning for Ontario's  four- and five-year olds, how to improve education for children up to 12 and how to increase and improve supports for young families, through more cost-effective and timely children's services.