Ontario Full-Day Kindergarten a Good Thing

By rebecca, January 15, 2010 2:08 am

There is lots and lots of grumbling from all corners as Dalton McGuinty and his Ontario Liberals get ready to offer full day everyday kindergarten to a very few elementary schools by September. From parents desperate for a solution to the daycare-to-kindergarten-and-back daily shuffle to taxpayers who grumble about providing “free babysitting” to four and five year olds. Even more parents don’t know what to think.

There’s also the question of whether this is too little, too late. McGuinty promised full-day kindergarten for every child in the province by 2010, but instead it will available to only 15% of kindergarteners with a promise to make it the new province-wide standard by 2015. Nobody is quite sure how they will get the resources to follow through.

I generally hate to be a cheerleader, especially of some beaurocratic policy initiative, but this is a cause that can use a few more enthusiastic voices. So here goes.

Most kids are not in their parents care anyway. In Toronto at least, the number of households with stay-at-home parents is pretty small. (I couldn’t find any solid stats, so you’ll have to take my word for it.) There are single-parent and two-parent families with children in full-time daycare, there are families with nannies, there are in-home child care arrangements, and there are work-at-home parents (like me) who try to make a buck or two with or without some sort of child care. Then the kids start kindergarten and the parents, daycare centres, nannies, etc. have to figure out how to get the kids to school and back for their two and a half hour day. It’s a drag at best. A logistical nightmare at worst.

Full-day kindergarten (with the built-in after-school care option) means that parents no longer have to worry about that. It means that the kids are not shuffled around either. They are in one place all day everyday. They actually get an extended kindergarten curriculum, which has got to be better than the average daycare counterpart.

But, c’mon, is there really educational value in full-day kindergarten? There actually is. Some studies (like this American one) suggest that a more relaxed, integrated, play-oriented and full-day program is better for 4 and 5 year olds. The research suggests (though we only have short-term studies right now) that there are academic, social and behavioural advantages. As the Ontario government states on it’s website, the benefits of the full-day program do tend to be more pronounced in low-income communities. (Because, sadly, the child care a working-class single mom gets is not the same as the child care a middle class couple gets.) Obviously there are also parental education levels that tend to cut across class lines and would impact the value of institutional versus home care as well.  There are, however, no apparent adverse affects on any children attending full-day programs and, in fact, it appears that the reading and math learned in full-day programs was higher overall than that of  half-day programs.

I have also been told by a trusted friend and fellow mom who is working in the French board where full-day kindergarten is already in place that it seems like a good curriculum. The kids do well, they have fun, and they are happy. Isn’t that about all we can ask for?

But why should WE PAY for your babysitting, asks the middle aged woman coming up on retirement.  It’s like certain members of society forget that it doesn’t end with them, and I am sick of hearing about it. Somebody needs to have children or we are all screwed. Who do they think will pay out their Canada Pensions or tend to them in their old age or serve them at freaking Tim Hortons in a few years? So, yes, full day kindergarten takes some of the financial burden off the parents. That is probably the number one reason I’m in favour of it, to tell you the truth. When full-time child care costs about $1000 per month per kid the average family can barely afford to keep their jobs. If my husband and I both had full-time jobs we almost certainly would not qualify for a child care subsidy, for example. The cost of child care for our two kids, however, would be almost as much as I could expect to earn. So, I stay home and try to work around their schedules as much as possible. I would say that I’m lucky to be able to find work that allows me to do that, but that is a load of crock. Most people do not want to work non-stop seven days a week into the wee hours of the night for very, very little money. Luck has nothing to do with it. If Colum were attending full-day kindergarten in September, though, part-time care for Irene might be more feasible. I might be able to work a little more and therefore earn enough to cover that cost! Note that we do rely on my feeble part-time income to make ends meet and no amount of sock-darning would be able to change that. When two incomes are the norm to achieve a mean standard of living, then the cost of child care needs to accounted for. That’s a societal obligation.

But I like to spend time with my baby and I don’t want him to be gone all day and he’s not ready and I’ll miss him. Sure, I get that too. I mean, Colum was in full-time daycare for a whopping 4 months while I worked just enough to qualify for my second maternity leave. Now he goes to a nursery school two mornings a week and it does seem like a natural progression for him to move to five mornings a week next year. Full days do sound long. (Although I’m sure he would adjust in no time.) So don’t do it. You can always opt to enroll your child for just the morning or afternoon. (Though I guess they would miss half the programming that way.) In fact, I just learned that children don’t have to go to school at all until Grade One. Of course, that starts to sound like homeschooling and don’t even get me started on homeschooling …

But wasn’t this all supposed to be in place already? Why can only 15% of children attend the full day program? Well, I called out the McGuinty government on this back in May of last year when I had heard from trusted sources in the Ontario Early Years Program that there was no way that the government could make this happen. Even now there are concerns about the cost of implementing this program across the board and the logistics of space and teaching staff. The government’s plan apparently doesn’t account for the union-regulated school boards salaries when hiring Early Childhood Educators, for example. And what will happen to day care centres when they lose half their kids? And how exactly will these schools be able to provide care during the summer, March Break, and other non-school days? I must admit that I’m impressed that in the face of all these doubts, concerns, questions and criticisms, the government is going forward with this anyway. They don’t have all the answers and I will not be surprised if we don’t have full implementation by 2015, but they are trying. Is 15% of kindergarten spots enough? No, but it’s a whole lot better than none.

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17 Responses to “Ontario Full-Day Kindergarten a Good Thing”

  1. Javamom says:
    January 15, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    It’s an interesting perspective and one I can understand, particularly from the financial part, and the shuffling part. Like you say, it’s a logistical nightmare for most parents who also have to commute on top of working a full day. It is not unlikely that a GTA worker will be away from home closer to 10 hours instead of just the “regular 8 hours”. This affects the children too.

    I just don’t like the “tone” that it’s “best” to put kids in full-day school environments at this age. How about YOU, the parent, decide what is best for YOUR kid? Why is it that you can’t make this decision WITH the support (especially financial support) from the government? Is the answer to put all kids into a school environment at age 4 for a period of 8 or more hours per day in the best interest of the child if the financial question is taken out of the equation?

    I just find it sad that some politicians allude to the fact that it’s a certified educator that knows best what to do with a 4 year old than the parent.

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    rebecca Reply:
    January 15th, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    Sure, it’s still an open question as to what is ideal and best for 4 or 5 year olds. (Or, hey, why not 6 or 7 year olds?) But remember that 9am to 3:30pm is only 6.5 hours, not 8 and that they do get recess and lunch. (And you’re welcome to bring your child home for lunch.) There does seem to be enough evidence to suggest that a full-day program can be beneficial even if it is not necessarily and there’s no reason to think it would be harmful. As for a condescending tone (from the government, I assume, and not me), I’m not sure that I’ve picked up on that at all. You can honestly just keep them home all day until Grade One (and perhaps enroll them in other extra-curricular activities) if you think that’s best for them.

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  2. Crunchy says:
    January 15, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    As someone who grew up in the UK with no Kindergarten, where at age 5 we went into full day Grade 1..I really don’t see what the fuss is about.
    We weren’t napping or struggling with it…we just did it.
    The curriculum has to fit the age and the day and that is really it.

    And with so many kids in day care, after school care etc…wouldn’t a more structured plan of plan and learning be better anyway?

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    rebecca Reply:
    January 15th, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    I agree. My kids get quite enough unstructured time as it is. I think having all weekend and from 3:30 pm onward to hang out is more than ample.

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  3. Kteach says:
    February 7, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    Hi I have waited for years to have full- time K but here they go messing it up. I truly think that JKs could be in full time subsidized( for all)daycare – that the day-cares only get subsidized if they have some academic expectations ( I know can get messy – teachers and all)-just a few basic ones. SK should be at the schools BUT the cap should NOt change – it should be lowered. EVERYONE seems to be overlooking the fact that they want 26 kids in one room – all of the research goes against this so how did Pascal come up with 26 in a room. I do not care how many helpers a teacher has; 26 kids in one room with no size minimum is big a concern. Put 26 kids in a room and the interactions and energy in that room is just too much. How much time will your child get with the teacher – the TEACHER HAS to teach and assess. In one day of academic time your child will probably get less than 8 minutes of time per day with the teacher, then add in behaviour issues which go way up with so many kids ( not just double 13 kids) , special needs, special activities – maybe down to 6 minutes. So now full time sk doesn’t seem so attractive – just how will your child benefit in a class of 26 kids. How much help will your child get. I can tell you from experience it will not be good. Think of kids parties – does it matter that you have one helper if you invited 26 kids – does if work as well if you are there by yourself with 13 -it is a completely different ball game. The new schools were funded for a cap of twenty – the rooms are SMALL. I know it comes down to money. Make a promise to parents, mislead them and change the focus so they do not see what is really happening. If you truly care about your child, their education and safety – stop the government from allowing 26 3-5 years old in one class. Some schools are putting the children into two rooms – now your child sees the teacher 4 minutes a day – if that. You really have a ECE in charge of one group. This is not a slam at ECEs but let us put all on the table. Parents come into a room with 26 kids – you will not want to stay long. Would you want to be around that many people in that close of proximity all day long?

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    rebecca Reply:
    February 8th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

    Lots to think about there. I must admit that I’m not fully up on how exactly (class size, etc.) the full-day program will be administered. I would imagine, however, that there would be at least the same ECE to child ratio as a daycare? I know that’s not the same as smaller class sizes headed by only kindergarten teachers, but maybe it’s not quite so bad as you make it out to be either. In any case, everyone will have a chance to see how things are working after this next school year.

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    Anonymous Reply:
    February 24th, 2010 at 5:10 am

    The ratio will NOT be the same – please read the plan before you comment. There will be 26 children with 1 full-time teacher. There will be 2 ECEs but that is only to ensure someone is there early -7 am in the morning till 6.pm. They will not overlap. One teacher will have to plan for, implement (ECE will help here), observe, and assess 26 kids. ECEs cannot do these things. Since the children can be there that long – do you think that some just might be left at school for 11 hours? Just how is not as bad as I am saying?

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    Anonymous Reply:
    February 24th, 2010 at 5:42 am

    just a quote from CTV article Starting in September 2010, about 580 schools will offer the full-day experience.

    “Hopefully, it’s not just about leaving them in one place,” said Kidder. “Our vision is for a full-day, one-year experience for younger children that is part of a larger structure where education is one piece and childcare is another piece.”

    She said the program will help enforce the concept of self regulation in children, such as how to control impulses and learning about consequences.

    The classes will be run by a teacher and an early childhood education professional. Each class will have about 26 children enrolled. Parents will also have the option of enrolling their kids into extra after-school programming with an early-childhood educator for a fee.

    The Ontario government put out a news release Tuesday saying the program will help give children a “strong foundation.

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    rebecca Reply:
    February 24th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    Those are all valid concerns and I’m not trying to suggest that the government has put together the perfect kindergarten program here. Indeed, I would be surprised to see them get anything right on the first try! I do think, however, that all improvements should be made within the framework of a full-day kindergarten day. The half-day just doesn’t work for the vast majority of people.

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