Full-day junior kindergarten to be offered in Rainbow schools

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Dec 09, 2009- 10:55 AM

By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff

 Following the lead of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, the Rainbow District School Board's police and finance committee has recommended that the board offer full-day junior kindergarten in all of its schools.

The province announced recently that it would be phasing in a full-day kindergarten over across Ontario the next five years.

The recommendation will be presented to the school board for approval at its regular meeting Dec. 14.

“We have completed an estimate of the costs to expand Junior Kindergarten in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin,” said the school board director of education, Jean Hanson.

“Thanks to prudent spending on the part of the board, we are able to cover the additional costs with reserves and make full-day programming available for all four and five year olds.”

The Rainbow board program will be phased in over the next five years, beginning in September 2010. A teacher and early childhood educator will lead the program, with average class sizes of 26 children.

For a fee, parents will have an option of enrolling their children in before and after school programs, providing there is sufficient interest. There will also be a new curriculum for four and five-year-olds.

The board will invest $1.3 million more in junior kindergarten in the 2010-2011 school year.

Full-day Junior Kindergarten is currently offered three full days one week and two full days the next week.

“Early years are important years,” added Hanson. “Research has shown that the early years influence success in learning and life. This investment in our youngest citizens will pay huge dividends in the long-term.”

“The Ministry of Education’s Early Learning Program has far reaching implications,” said Hanson. “This is just the beginning of the journey in the creation of an integrated system of support for our youngest citizens and their families. We look forward to introducing the Early Learning Program in all Rainbow Schools in the years to come.”   

Registrations for full-time Early Learning and Junior Kindergarten will begin in January. For enrolment in Junior Kindergarten, the child must be four years of age by December 31, 2010.  For enrolment in Senior Kindergarten, the child must be five years of age by December 31, 2010.

For more information about these programs, visit rainbowschools.ca or contact the Rainbow School nearest you.

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3 Comments

  • think about it_1 12/10/2009 9:58:50 AM - Report Abuse

    I do not agree with this new system at all. Kids that age still require daytime naps and 4 years old is quite soon to be seperated from parents for a long period of time. I remember attending JK in the afternoon on year, and SK in the morning the next, allowing us to prepare for early mornings and full days of learning.

    This new system of full days, 3 one week, 2 the next, makes it very difficult to secure a day care slot, and when your child is not present, you are still required to pay upwards of 90% of the full fee. Talk about wasted monies!! Oh wait, now we'll pay HST on day care services, and that same levy will be collected on services not utilised....I don't know whether I should pat Dalton on the head and say "Good boy!" or "Everything will be ok"...idiot!

  • Share the Wealth_1 12/9/2009 4:38:36 PM - Report Abuse

    I am raising my grandson, who went to full day JK two days one week and three the next. This was very confusing, and hard to adjust to a normal routine. I prefer the every day half day JK in the mornings. This is the best time for learning with the kids, and consistancy every day helps tremendously with a routine for both school and home activities and a nap in the comfort of ones own bed, in the afternoon if needed. All day JK was primarily developed to save costs on busing. It also is serving as a daycare center on public dollars, which I detest. I think parents should be home raising their own kids, or have a babysitter in their own home to make the children more comfortable with the parents away at work. The kids are in day cares, before and after school programs, various after school and evening sports, activities etc. when do they have normal family interactions? Subsidized day care does exist for those families that abosulately need it to work, but this is not a right, it is a privaledge. Those families who can afford daycare, but want all day JK and other publically funded or subsidized care, are leaches of the system, and should be ashamed that they value things over their children. Today people want two cars, fancy big homes, brand new furniture , spas, other costly entertainment, and recreation so they both work full time. They could settle for less bling, and enjoy their toddlers for a couple of exceptionally nurturing years. Most of us who are in our 50's, raised our own kids. We may have had careers, or non skilled work prior to the birth of our kids, but we (mostly women) stayed home to raise them until at least school age, which was normally 5yrs old. or Jk half days at 4yrs old. WE took part time work to accommodate the needs of our children, as well as add a little money to our homes, but the kids were our priority, not chasing the dollar to pay for homes and things we could not afford. Why cant people today, start out simple, an

  • ChrisKN_1 12/9/2009 1:21:05 PM - Report Abuse

    My wife and I are expecting a baby and this move for full-day junior kindergarten means so much to us. We're very grateful that this is going to happen and will be in place when our child is old enough. Finally a piece of legislation that will actually help working families.
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