During the 2007 election, the Ontario government announced it would provide full-day kindergarten beginning in September 2010. Premier McGuinty appointed Dr. Charles Pascal to advise the government on how to implement the proposal. In June 2009, Dr. Pascal released his report.
The report presented a bold new vision for the delivery of services for children from birth to age 12. ETFO embraced the general thrust of the report, but not the staffing model for full-day kindergarten. The report proposed that teachers and early childhood educators work together, but limited the teacher’s role in the classroom to a half day.
ETFO drafted a response to the Pascal report, based on its original 2008 position paper, which made a strong case for ensuring that a certified teacher is in the classroom throughout the school day. In the end, the government agreed. Interviewed by TVO Agenda host Steve Paikin, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne stated that having a teacher fulltime in the kindergarten classroom was the best pedagogical model.
ETFO’s various resources in support of its position on full-day kindergarten are available on this page.
The ETFO media release in response to the government’s announcement is also available:
Children Will Benefit from Government Decision on Early Learning.
Kindergarten Matters DVD - Streaming Version
Please note that this DVD was distributed to all schools in the January 2009 Stewards' Mailing.