Educator Expectations in Full-Day Kindergarten: Comparing the Factors That Contribute to the Formation of Early Childhood Educator and Teacher Expectations

This paper presents literature and findings on childhood transitions in public education. Set in the context of shifts in Canada to full day kindergarten, it makes visible the range of human relational and structural concerns that must be considered in the practice of researching and facilitating transitions for children. The paper draws upon a review of international literatures and a longitudinal, three-year qualitative study of 795 students, parents, and educators in 37 families of schools who conversed about the character and meaning of transitions. Such long-term enactments of transitions as they occur are scarce but important in making visible the complexity and nuance of childhood transitions. Findings include the importance of a critical praxis for transitions which gets at the roots of the social organization and inequality in research and educational practice. The paper addresses critical praxis as found in three early childhood education frameworks (Australia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada). Attention to being, becoming, and belonging for all children and the fit between human and structural concerns at the levels of society, community, school, and family form core elements of critical praxis. Transitions are best understood and facilitated as over time, complex social ensembles.

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Are Today’s Students With Disabilities More Likely to Attend Full-Day Kindergarten or Part-Day Kindergarten? Analysis of Two Cohorts of Students and Their Teachers

Council review ◽

10.1177/0014402918782621 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 28-45

Author(s):

Michael Gottfried

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Education Policy ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Policy Analysts ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Education Coursework ◽

Full Day

Some education policy analysts have called for increased participation of young children in full-day kindergarten programs as opposed to part-day kindergarten. However, little is known about whether students with disabilities are increasingly attending these programs and what their teachers are like. This study addresses this gap by examining whether the full-day kindergarten-going patterns have changed within two nationally representative cohorts of kindergartners (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten classes of 1998 and 2010). The findings suggest that a greater percentage of students with disabilities are enrolled in full-day kindergarten programs in 2010 (approximately 80%) than in 1998 (approximately 55%). Comparing full-day kindergarten enrollees between the two cohorts, there were no differences in teachers’ years of experience or degrees, though full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 had teachers with less early education and special education coursework. However, full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 were more likely to be in classrooms with a special education teacher’s aide. Implications are discussed.

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Early Childhood Educational Settings and School Absenteeism for Children With Disabilities

AERA Open ◽

10.1177/2332858418785576 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 233285841878557

Author(s):

Arya Ansari ◽

Michael A. Gottfried

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Children With Disabilities ◽

School Attendance ◽

First Grade ◽

School Year ◽

Academic Benefits ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

School Absences ◽

Full Day ◽

Kindergarten Class

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 were used to examine the implications of preschool and full-day kindergarten enrollment for the subsequent school absences of 2,056 children with disabilities. Results suggest that children with disabilities who went to preschool were absent less frequently in kindergarten, but these benefits did not persist through the end of first grade. Conversely, children with disabilities who attended full-day kindergarten programs were absent more frequently during the kindergarten year as compared with children in part-day programs, but these children experienced a sharper drop in absenteeism throughout the following school year resulting in no differences in school absences in first grade. No multiplicative benefits emerged for attending both preschool and full-day kindergarten. And even though these aforementioned benefits of preschool diminished rapidly, there were lingering academic benefits through the end of first grade because of improvements in earlier school attendance.

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Early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in Ontario’s full day kindergarten program

10.32920/ryerson.14664609 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rabeya Hossain

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Educators ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Roles And Responsibilities ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Professional Recognition ◽

Colonial Theory ◽

Teaching Team ◽

The Relationship ◽

Full Day

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities based on their lived experiences in Ontario’s full day kindergarten (FDK) program. The theoretical framework that underpinned my study is post-colonial theory and Foucault’s post-structural concept of “power/knowledge” which offered different perspectives to understand how ECEs’ shaped their perceptions. Key messages from the findings suggest despite challenges within the FDK program, ECEs recognized and acknowledged their complementary roles within the teaching team, and identified the need for professional recognition of their work. The key messages further suggested that principals as the leaders of the school need to have a greater understanding about ECEs’ roles, and the relationship between the educators. The recognition of the role and knowledge that ECEs contribute to FDK programs is crucial in order to facilitate collaboration between the educators within the teaching team.

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Early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in Ontario’s full day kindergarten program

10.32920/ryerson.14664609.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rabeya Hossain

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Educators ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Roles And Responsibilities ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Professional Recognition ◽

Colonial Theory ◽

Teaching Team ◽

The Relationship ◽

Full Day

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand early childhood educators’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities based on their lived experiences in Ontario’s full day kindergarten (FDK) program. The theoretical framework that underpinned my study is post-colonial theory and Foucault’s post-structural concept of “power/knowledge” which offered different perspectives to understand how ECEs’ shaped their perceptions. Key messages from the findings suggest despite challenges within the FDK program, ECEs recognized and acknowledged their complementary roles within the teaching team, and identified the need for professional recognition of their work. The key messages further suggested that principals as the leaders of the school need to have a greater understanding about ECEs’ roles, and the relationship between the educators. The recognition of the role and knowledge that ECEs contribute to FDK programs is crucial in order to facilitate collaboration between the educators within the teaching team.

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The Perceived Effectiveness of Full-Day Kindergarten for Children with ADHD

Canadian Journal of School Psychology ◽

10.1177/08295735211031435 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 082957352110314

Author(s):

Erica P. Miklas ◽

Lindsey S. Jaber ◽

Elizabeth Starr

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Perceived Effectiveness ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Full Day

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, and the numbers only continue to rise. Ontario has implemented play-based FDK in the last decade, thus it is imperative that the perceived effectiveness of the program for children with ADHD is studied. In conducting this study, the researchers present and interprets educators’ perceptions of the FDK program and the perceived effectiveness of FDK for children with ADHD. Using an Ecological Systems Theory lens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators from multiple cities throughout Southwestern Ontario to obtain their perceptions of Play-Based FDK and ADHD. The data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis (TA) and three themes emerged: (1) Knowledge and Understanding, (2) Benefits and Challenges of Play-Based FDK for Children with ADHD, and (3) Strategies Used to Promote Success. These themes encompassed the general lived experiences and knowledge that educators have on the effectiveness of the FDK program for children with ADHD. Limitations of the study and future areas of research are discussed.

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Well-being in the Kindergarten Eating Environment and the Role of Early Childhood Educators

Journal of Childhood Studies ◽

10.18357/jcs.v42i4.18102 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 37-52

Author(s):

Japji Anna Bas

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Kindergarten Children ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Phase Study ◽

Three Phase ◽

The Impact ◽

Full Day

In Ontario, kindergarten children haverecently begun to eat lunch at school with theimplementation of the full-day kindergartenprogram. To date, there are no regulations toaddress the particular needs of young childrenin the school eating environment. Drawing ona year-long three-phase study that followed acohort of 21 children as they transitioned fromfull-day childcare to full-day kindergarten,this study explores the impact of staff trainingand staff relationships on the well-being ofkindergarten students. Findings suggest that thepresence of an early childhood educator (ECE),a minimum staffing of two adults per room, anda collaborative approach between teacher andECE have a positive impact on child well-being.

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British Columbia's Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide: A Critical Race Analysis

Journal of Childhood Studies ◽

10.18357/jcs.v37i1.15186 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 12-20

Author(s):

Jennifer Moule

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Elementary Schools ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

Critical Race ◽

Race Theory ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

School Day ◽

Full Day ◽

Insight Into ◽

Race Analysis

In September 2011, all elementary schools in British Columbia, Canada began providing a full school day of kindergarten to its children. Prior to this, the majority of children experi-enced kindergarten in a half day for-mat, while the province provided a full day to children from “certain pop-ulations” of ethnicity, language, and ability. Supporters of the change pro-fess that a full day of kindergarten can be beneficial for all children, which will subsequently benefit the province in general. This paper aims to gain insight into how the contemporary discourses in early childhood educa-tion in relation to full day kinder-garten influence the racialized experi-ences of British Columbia's young children of colour. A textual analysis was conducted on the Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide (2010) from the lens of Critical Race Theory. The guide's ambiguous use of the con-cept of “culture” is highlighted.

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Partnerships in Full-Day Kindergarten Classrooms: Early Childhood Educators and Kindergarten Teachers Working Together

Journal of Childhood Studies ◽

10.18357/jcs.v41i1.15696 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 36 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kathryn Underwood ◽

Aurelia Di Santo ◽

Angela Valeo ◽

Rachel Langford

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Social Policy ◽

Early Childhood Educators ◽

Teaching Approaches ◽

Teaching Models ◽

Full Day Kindergarten ◽

Working Together ◽

Policy Direction ◽

The Relationship ◽

Full Day

<p>This study examines the relationship between teachers and early childhood educators in full-day kindergarten classrooms in one school board in Ontario. The study uses the theoretical framework of co-teaching models developed in special education to analyze the range of approaches used by the educator teams. Findings indicate that the teams primarily engage in a one teach/one assist approach, but they also describe some examples of other co-teaching approaches that are possible in these classrooms. The study concludes that support for the expansion of the co-teaching repertoire could provide a mechanism for integrating the expertise of both educators in full-day kindergarten classes and maximizing the efficacy of this social policy direction. Implications for educators and administrators are addressed.</p>

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

Journal of Childhood Studies ◽

10.18357/jcs00202119594 ◽

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.

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