Doors open for full-day kindergarten

Doors open for full-day kindergarten. Deanne Hannah gives her sons Noah Hannah, 6, right, and Cody Hannah, 5, who is going into full day junior kindergarten, a big hug on the first day of school at Military Trail Public School Tuesday. Military Trail is one of 600 schools across Ontario to implement full day kindergarten. Staff photo/DAN PEARCE

A change in routine can be difficult for junior kindergarten students, but this year they aren't the only ones trying something new. Military Trail is one of 101 schools across Toronto offering full-day early learning for the first time in Ontario.

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, principal Ken Morden was able to set aside five minutes from dealing with confused children and curious parents to explain the adaptations needed to accommodate the program during a day he described as "organized chaos".

"Part of the planning involved bringing in five new early childhood educators, or ECEs, because we now have five full kindergarten classes with about 26 kids in each one. We have the five ECEs and we also needed extra staff for the lunchroom, so we have been juggling all that," said Morden.

The idea of switching from half-day kindergarten classes to the new full-day model was brought to Morden's attention almost two years ago. Since then, all kindergarten staff have gone through training, new teaching manuals have been delivered and two new classrooms have been set up to house the 132 junior and senior kindergartners enrolled.

The school doesn't lose money on these extra expenditures because funding is based on attendance. Each half-day student is now funded as a full-day student, doubling the financial contribution to the school's bottom line.

Most students were guided to their new classrooms without much trouble and seemed to be enjoying the entire experience. They were happy to meet new friends and conquer new play areas.

The students were too young to express the complexities of their situation, but parents didn't hesitate to talk about how a new schedule would affect the whole family.

Deanne Hannah has two children at Military Trail. Her oldest son, Noah, is in Grade 1 and his younger brother, Cody, entered junior kindergarten.

Cody was dressed to impress, with his hair tied back in a pony tail and a flashy grey hoodie with "Notorious BIG" written in yellow block letters across the chest.

"It gives them more time for their education, more time to learn the alphabet and numbers. I think it will help Cody a lot because right now he has some difficulty with speech, but a full-day will help him to learn more things in school," said Hannah.

Having the two older children at school also allows for more one-on-one time with her youngest son, Sebastian.

Nobody seemed too upset during the first few minutes of class, but Shermar Manley hoped his daughter, Kieara Manley-Mendoza, would maintain her enthusiasm during the afternoon. She loved junior kindergarten and has returned for her senior year.

"Maybe it will take a little bit of time for her to get used to, but she will fly right through it," said Manley. "I'm in favour of a full day because her mother goes to school and I'm trying to work, so it's actually pretty good for all three of us."

A before- and after-school daycare centre could have also been opened at Military Trail to make child care available from 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., but that would have involved extra cost to parents and principal Morden said there wasn't enough interest.

"It was something offered this year and our parents didn't think they were ready for that. It may have been a reflection of finances or because they have multiple children or whether that kind of structure could accommodate their needs," Morden said. "Look to the future and what you see in the political arena, there still is a push to see if they can get that incorporated in what might happen in the future."

Phase 2 of the provincial full-day early learning plan involves an additional 20 schools offering the program in Toronto next September.