scholarly journals Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program Team: Perspectives from the Principal

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 681-691
Author(s):  
Sara Shahbazi ◽  
Geri Salinitri
Keyword(s):  
Early Learning ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Program Team

scholarly journals Kindergarten in Ontario – An Exceptional Case of a Publicly Funded Early Childhood Education Since 1883

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danuta Wloka
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Exceptional Case ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care ◽  
History Of ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Fernand Braudel

Ontario has the distinction of having the longest and the richest history of public kindergarten in Canada. Ontario’s kindergarten is an exception in the field of publicly funded early childhood care and education in Canada, where the care and education of preschool-aged children has not been recognized as the government’s responsibility. This article traces the development of Ontario’s public kindergarten from its inception in 1883 to the current Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program. It identifies the evolving characteristics of kindergarten, trends, and paradigmatic changes in the analyzed period by using a longue durée approach as per Fernand Braudel. It explores the context of each historical phase of Ontario’s kindergarten development, the intersection of political agendas, ideologies, and economic and pragmatic considerations that were impacting kindergarten policies.

From full day learning to 30 minutes a day: A descriptive study of early learning during the first COVID-19 pandemic school shutdown in Ontario

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Spadafora ◽  
Caroline Reid-Westoby ◽  
Molly Pottruff ◽  
Jade Wang ◽  
Magdalena Janus
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Kindergarten Educators ◽  
Returning To School ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Kindergarten Teaching

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, the lives of families all over the world were disrupted. Many adults found themselves working from home while their children were unable to go to school. To better understand the potential impact of these educational disruptions, it is important to establish what learning looked like during the first school shutdown in the spring of 2020, particularly for the youngest learners who may feel the longest lasting impacts from this pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive study was to gather information on how kindergarten teaching and learning occurred during this time, what the biggest barriers were, and what concerns educators had regarding returning in person to the classroom setting. The sample for the current study was 2,569 kindergarten educators (97.6% female; 74.2% teachers, 25.8% early childhood educators) in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of both quantitative scales and qualitative open-ended questions. Educators reported that parents most often contacted them regarding technological issues or how to effectively support their child. The largest barrier to learning was the ability of both parents and educators to balance work, home life, and online learning/teaching. With regards to returning to school, educators were most concerned about the lack of ability of kindergarten aged children to do tasks independently and to follow safety protocols. Our findings highlight unique challenges associated with teaching kindergarten during the pandemic, contributing to our understanding of the learning that occurred in Ontario during the first COVID-19 shutdown.

scholarly journals Privileging Power: Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, and Racial Socialization in Full-Day Kindergarten

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zuhra Abawi
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Racial Socialization ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Early Childhood Educators ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Full Day

This paper critically unpacks the racialized and gendered hierarchies between the co-teaching model of early childhood educators (ECEs) and Ontario certified teachers (OCTs) in full-day kindergarten (FDK), and how such positionalities speak to racial socialization in early learning spaces. While young children and early learning spaces are often portrayed as raceless, ahistorical, and apolitical, extant literature suggests that children as young as two years of age are aware of visible and cultural differences between themselves and other groups. The paper employs a reconceptualist framework by drawing on critical race theory to explorehow racialized power relations between ECEs and teachers inform hierarchies of dominance and impact processes of racial socialization in FDK learning spaces. While both professions are predominantly feminized, the overwhelming majority of teachers in Ontario are white and middle class, whereas ECEs in FDK programs are more likely to be racialized and marginalized due to low wages and diminished professional status as care workers rather than educators. Although there has been great emphasis on the importance of diversifying the teacher workforce, there is minimal study on the impact of the hierarchies and racialized power relations between ECEs and OCTs and their impact on racial socialization in FDK programs. This conceptual paper seeks to address this gap.

scholarly journals Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten and Report Cards: Honouring Children’s Learning and Development through Reflective Evaluation Practices

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Mastrangelo
Keyword(s):  
School Board ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Report Card ◽  
Report Cards ◽  
Preliminary Review ◽  
Metacognitive Skills ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
Full Day

The Ontario Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) program, now in its fifth year, celebrates children’s intentionality and natural curiosity about the world. Consequently, a report card is needed to support the vision for the new full-day early learning program in Ontario. A preliminary review of the report cards reveals that expectations/outcomes have been categorized and quantified. The scales being used vary considerably from school board to school board and these variations include: using numeric scales of achievement (Levels 1-4); providing descriptors for a specific skill set (i.e. emerging, developing at expected level, beyond expected level); or evaluating progress based on frequency (i.e. sometimes evident, always evident, not yet evident). Additionally, although reports should include next steps for the Early Learning–Kindergarten team, as well as next steps for the parents to assist them in supporting their child’s learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), our preliminary review reveals that while this information is sometimes communicated variably or informally, it is only periodically included in completed report cards. The overall focus of the new FDK program is on developing children’s problem solving and metacognitive skills (encouraging children to think about their thinking). In addition, the goal is for children to develop self-motivation and self-regulation so that they can become self-directed, lifelong learners. A new report card is needed to embrace this new vision for full-day learning which is based on child directedness and inquiry. In this article we: a) present the background on the inception of the Full-Day Kindergarten program in Ontario; b) share insights and evaluative methods from the Reggio Emilia approach of pedagogical documentation for reporting growth and learning of four and five year olds in an attempt to inform our practices in Ontario; and c) present a standardized provincial Kindergarten report card that is aligned to Pascal’s vision for full day early learning.

scholarly journals From Full Day Learning to 30 Minutes a Day: A Descriptive Study of Early Learning During the First COVID-19 Pandemic School Shutdown in Ontario

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Spadafora ◽  
Caroline Reid-Westoby ◽  
Molly Pottruff ◽  
Jade Wang ◽  
Magdalena Janus
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Kindergarten Educators ◽  
Returning To School ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Kindergarten Teaching

AbstractWhen the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, the lives of families all over the world were disrupted. Many adults found themselves working from home while their children were unable to go to school. To better understand the potential impact of these educational disruptions, it is important to establish what learning looked like during the first school shutdown in the spring of 2020, particularly for the youngest learners who may feel the longest lasting impacts from this pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive study was to gather information on how kindergarten teaching and learning occurred during this time, what the biggest barriers were, and what concerns educators had regarding returning in person to the classroom setting. The sample for the current study was 2569 kindergarten educators (97.6% female; 74.2% teachers, 25.8% early childhood educators) in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of both quantitative scales and qualitative open-ended questions. Educators reported that parents most often contacted them regarding technological issues or how to effectively support their child. The largest barrier to learning was the ability of both parents and educators to balance work, home life, and online learning/teaching. With regards to returning to school, educators were most concerned about the lack of ability of kindergarten aged children to do tasks independently and to follow safety protocols. Our findings highlight unique challenges associated with teaching kindergarten during the pandemic, contributing to our understanding of the learning that occurred in Ontario during the first COVID-19 shutdown.

Damage Risk: An Evaluation of the Effects of Exposure to 85 versus 90 dBA of Noise

1976 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
James T. Yates ◽  
Jerry D. Ramsey ◽  
Jay W. Holland
Keyword(s):  
White Noise ◽  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Threshold Shift ◽  
Temporary Threshold Shift ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Potential Damage ◽  
Full Day ◽  
Damage Risk

The purpose of this study was to compare the damage risk of 85 and 90 dBA of white noise for equivalent full-day exposures. The damage risk of the two noise levels was determined by comparing the temporary threshold shift (TTS) of 12 subjects exposed to either 85 or 90 dBA of white noise for equivalent half- and full-day exposures. TTS was determined by comparing the pre- and postexposure binaural audiograms of each subject at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. It was concluded that the potential damage risk, that is, hazardous effect, of 90 dBA is greater than 85 dBA of noise for equivalent full-day exposures. The statistical difference between the overall effects of equivalent exposures to 85 dBA as compared to 90 dBA of noise could not be traced to any one frequency. The damage risk of a full-day exposure to 85 dBA is equivalent to that of a half-day exposure to 90 dBA of noise. Within the limits of this study, TTS t was as effective as TTS 2 for estimating the damage risk of noise exposure.

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