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Update from CAPE's June, 2011 'Provoking Powerful Conversations' ConferenceKeynote Speaker, Pat Holborn
Research on Full Day K in British Columbia Supports Play-Based Learning A research report, entitled Taking the Pulse: Full Day K in British Columbia Year One was recently released by the British Columbia Principal’s and Vice Principal’s Association (BCPVPA). A quote from the author of this resource, Dr. Janet Mort, states that:
Full day kindergarten a success: Study. Vancouver Sun, Aug. 27, 2011.
============================================Teach kindergarten outside school, adviser saysOntario plan would allow full-day classes to be held in community centres, churches and daycares in boards where space is tight This article printed was printed in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday April 22nd, 2008. To read the article online, click on Ontario Plan.CAPE POSITION PAPERS : 2008Premier McGuinty's November announcement regarding the phase in of Full-Day Kindergarten in Ontario prompted the CAPE Executive to prepare two position papers. POSITION PAPER ON FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IN ONTARIOThis position paper has been sent to Charles Pascal, the person responsible for shaping this policy. The paper relates to the issue of full-day Kindergarten generally. CAPE (the Consultants/Coordinators Association of Primary Educators) acts as an advocacy body to promote the interests of primary children and to provide a forum for discussion, debate and response to issues, initiatives and research in primary education.[1] For this reason, we are providing input to the McGuinty government’s intention to gradually implement full-day Kindergarten for 4- and 5-year old children in Ontario. Background: According to the Premier’s announcement on Tues., Nov. 27th, 2007 at Bruce Junior Public School in Toronto, the government will spend $200 million in 2010 and $300 million in 2011 to launch the full-day Kindergarten program. Premier McGuinty has appointed Dr. Charles Pascal, Chair of the Educational Quality and Accountability Office, as a special advisor to this project. Both Dr. Pascal and Education Minister Kathleen Wynne have alluded to the possibility of an integrated day (child care and Kindergarten) with combined staffing of a certified teacher, an early childhood educator, and an early childhood assistant. Dr. Pascal has suggested that the money allocated may not be enough to fully implement that program. Premier McGuinty’s main rationale for the program is studies indicating that full-day learning opportunities for young children result in better performance in math and language skills and more proficiency throughout their school years [ 2, 3)] 1. Ensure a program that honours the importance of quality interactions between adult and child to promote the development of children’s early language competence. While higher scores in math and language skills influence later success in school, research suggests that it is the quality of relationships and the nature of interactions between the child and the primary caregiver/educator in the early years that have the greatest impact on future success in learning and in life. [4] A landmark study in the United States demonstrated highly significant differences among groups of young children in oral language development that were largely attributable to socio-economic status and that were amenable to intervention through quality early childhood programs that focus specifically on language development. [5] In an Ontario report on exemplary Kindergarten programs, studies indicate that when staff engage in extensive verbal interactions with children, there are measurable improvements in the average level of children’s language competence. [6] This is particularly important because early language competence is consistently correlated with children’s later literacy success.[7, 8, 9] Mathematics and cognitive development in the early years are also mostly about learning language.[10, 11] 2. Ensure that all adults who interact with young children in the Kindergarten program have the knowledge and skills required to promote language competence in an appropriate learning environment. All adults who interact with children in the Kindergarten program should have the knowledge and skills to appropriately scaffold children’s language development. This requires specific training in language development and an environment in which teachers can interact with small groups of children (ideally 2-3) on a regular basis. Adults need to have a good understanding of child development from birth onwards, and knowledge and skill in programming to promote children’s development, particularly in language and cognitive development. Early childhood programs that are not based on a clear understanding of the nature of quality adult-child verbal interactions can actually have a negative impact on children’s language development. 3. Provide ratios of no less than 1 adult to 10 children and no more than 20 children per class to ensure that the program provides rich oral language experiences for children. The Corter and Park research cited above makes strong recommendations for ensuring appropriate adult-child ratios (1-10) and further states that unless the program provides for adults taking an active verbal interactive role with children, the program cannot be considered language-oriented. [12] Research on quality early childhood programs has consistently demonstrated the importance of both group size (optimally 15-20 for 3, 4, and 5 year olds) and ratios (1-10 as a maximum)). [13] This research reflects the importance of both the physical environment (enough space to move, interact and learn comfortably) and human interactions (enough adults to interact positively and appropriately with children on a regular basis). To ignore this research when establishing full-day Kindergarten could have a negative impact on children’s development rather than the positive outcomes that are the stated intention of this government initiative. 4. Establish programs that provide a ‘climate of delight’ for children and reciprocal partnerships for parents. An effective Kindergarten program should provide a ‘climate of delight’ for children [14] and should be based on reciprocal partnerships with parents, families and communities.[15] These programs should promote active, inquiry learning within a play-based environment. The Ministry of Education document, The Ontario Kindergarten Program identifies a strong link between play and learning for young children especially in the areas of problem solving, language acquisition, literacy, numeracy, and social skills. Play provides opportunities for learning in a context in which children are at their most receptive.[16] The Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services ELECT document asserts that play is a means to learning that capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and exuberance.[17] Research on learning, in particular the primary importance of motivation and interest in effective teaching with young children must be acknowledged. It is attention to these dimensions that makes the difference between teachers who merely follow the book and teachers who lead children to do their best, between children who trudge through the curriculum and those who acquire a lifelong passion for learning, and between institutions that warehouse children and those that truly educate them. [18] As well as a positive learning environment, early childhood education research underscores the importance of parent participation, including the finding that the more intensively parents are involved, the greater are the cognitive and non-cognitive benefits to their children.[19] 5. Require everyone with direct teaching responsibilities for 4- and 5-year olds to have both teachers’ qualifications and specialized training for working with children from birth to age 8. Research indicates that both the number of years of education and training specific to this age group are critical factors in ensuring quality and positive outcomes for children in early learning programs.[20] Whitebook’s literature review underscores the importance of more higher education and specialized training, and identifies the role of the bachelor's degree, most often in ECE, in producing teacher behaviors consistent with high-quality programming, which in turn supports better developmental outcomes. Some possibilities for obtaining this training in Ontario would include the following: a. Early Childhood Diploma (2-year College) combined with a University degree and teacher (See Attached Position Paper recommending a three-part Kindergarten Additional Qualifications Course.) 6. Build on the commonalities between the Ontario Ministry of Education Kindergarten Program and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services Early Learning Framework (ELECT: Early Learning for Every Child Today). These two documents, when considered together, have a synergistic effect that is much stronger than either document considered separately. Both documents promote the importance of play and oral language as the foundations of quality early learning programs. Both honour the role of parents and community partners, and acknowledge the importance of well-trained teachers. Both have a strong developmental focus, but ELECT provides a Developmental Continuum that actually helps teachers observe and interact with children in appropriate ways while The Kindergarten Program provides exit outcomes that help teachers to evaluate progress. Both emphasize the traditional categories of development but ELECT has a stronger focus on social, emotional and cognitive development and The Kindergarten Program has a stronger focus on math and literacy development. When these two documents are considered together, they are even more powerful and can serve as a basis for much dialogue and discussion about children’s development and learning that will help to ensure positive opportunities and outcomes for all children. 7. Use The Kindergarten Program and Early Learning for Every Child Today and the momentum of the current government to finally realize an integrated model of service delivery for children in Ontario that recognizes the strengths of both existing Kindergarten and Early Childhood Education programs. Providing settings that integrate child care and learning for children from Birth-6 and a variety of options for children and families have been recommended in every major Ontario government document focused on young children for at least twenty five years. International reviews suggest that Canada is falling short in responding to the needs of young children and families. [21] The principal researcher in the OECD report, John Bennett, suggests that Canada seems to be much more focused on child care than on early learning and development. This report also cited statistics indicating that Canada comes ‘dead last’ among developed countries in public expenditures on children from birth-age 6. Scandinavian countries, who are worldwide leaders in international literacy and mathematics test scores, lead the world in this regard, spending approx. 2% of their GDP on this age group; Canada spends about .25%, or 1/10th of the amount of money spent by countries with a strong early childhood focus. As well as lagging behind Scandinavian and European countries, Canada falls short of all other Anglo-Saxon countries in government spending. INTEGRATED PROGRAMS WHICH CAPITALIZE ON THE BEST OF THE CURRENT EARLY CHILDHOOD AND KINDERGARTEN SECTORS ARE ESSENTIAL AT BOTH THE HUMAN AND THE ECONOMIC LEVEL AND IT IS TIME TO FINALLY ENSURE THAT THIS HAPPENS IN ONTARIO. 1 CAPE Constitution. www.capeonline.ca 2 City News.Ca (2007). Ontario Plans for Full Day Kindergarten. Nov. 27, 2007.3 The Hamilton Spectator. (2007) McGuinty Spells out the ABCs of Full-Day Kindergarten Plan. Nov. 28,2007.4 Greenspan, Stanley and Shanker, Stuart. (2004). THE FIRST IDEA: How Symbols, Language, and Intelligence Evolved from our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans. Da Capo Press5 Hart, Betty and Risley, Todd R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.6 Corter, Carl and Park, Norman, Eds. (1993). What makes exemplary kindergarten programs effective? Ontario Ministry of Education., p. 45. 7 Anderson, R.C. and Freebody, P., (1981). Vocabulary knowledge. In Comprehension and teaching: Research reviews, ed. J.T.Guthrie, pp. 77-116. International Reading Association.8 Strickland, Dorothy S., Riley-Ayers, Shannon. (2007). Literacy leadership in early childhood. Columbia Teachers College Press; Wash. D.C. National Association for the Education of Young Children, p. 15.9 Snow, Catherine E. (2006). What counts as literacy in early childhood? In McCartney, Kathleen and Phillips, Deborah. Blackwell handbook of early childhood development. Blackwell Publishing., pp. 274-294. 10 Donaldson, Margaret. (1978). Children’s Minds. Fontana Paperbacks.11 Ginsburg, Herbert P., Cannon, Joanna, Eisenband, Janet, Pappas, Sandra. (2006). Mathematical thinking and learning. In McCartney, Kathleen and Phillips, Deborah. Blackwell handbook of early childhood development. Blackwell Publishing., pp. 208-229.12 Tizard, Barbara and Hughes, Martin. (1984). Young children learning. Harvard University Press.12 Corter, Carl and Park, Norman, Eds. (1993). What makes exemplary kindergarten programs effective? Ontario Ministry of Education., p. 45.13 Vandell, Deborah Lowe, Wolfe, Barbara. (2000). Child care quality: Does it matter and does it need to be improved? ERIC documents 441941. 14 Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. (2000). Kindergarten years: Learning through play, p. 19.. 15 Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (2007). Early learning for every child today: A framework for Ontario early childhood settings, p. 516 Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Kindergarten Program, Revised. Ontario: Queen’s Printer, p. 14. 17 Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (2007). Early learning for every child today: A framework for Ontario early childhood settings, p. 15.18 Jalengo, Mary Renck. (2007). Beyond benchmarks and scores: Reasserting the role of motivation and interest in children’s academic achievement: An ACEI Position Paper. In Childhood Education: International Focus Issue, 2007, p. 405. 19 Cotton, Kathleen, Conklin, Nancy Faires. (1989). Research on early childhood education. Northwest Regional Education Laboratories School Improvement Series. 20 Whitebook, Marcie. (2003). Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Living Environments. A Review of the Literature. ERIC documents # 481219. 21 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2006) Starting Strong II: International Childhood Education and Care. ISBN: 9264035451 Consultants/Coordinators’ Association of Primary Educators. This second position paper was sent to both Charles Pascal and the Ontario College of Teachers. It relates to the need for a Three-Part Addional Qualification Course for Kindergarten Teachers. POSITION PAPER ON CAPE (the Consultants/Coordinators Association of Primary Educators) acts as an advocacy body to promote the interests of primary children and to provide a forum for discussion, debate and response to issues, initiatives and research in primary education. [1] For this reason we are emphasizing the need to offer a three-part Additional Qualification course for Kindergarten teachers in Ontario. Background: The Ontario government has expanded opportunities for 4 and 5 year olds over the past decades so that nearly all children in this age group are now able to attend school for at least a half-day. Many boards that have space available (as well as nearly all French Catholic boards) already provide full-day Kindergarten for this group of children. As a result there are approximately 10,500 Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten teachers in Ontario at the present time. There are also 29,000 early childhood educators with at least a two-year diploma working with children from birth to age 8 in pre-school and child care settings. International Comparisons Rationale for Specialized Training Requirement The Impact of Proposed Changes in Ontario This is an excellent time to address the need for better training for all professionals who will work with this age group. For those who already hold teaching qualifications, the most straightforward, comprehensive approach would be to provide a three-part Kindergarten Additional Qualification Course. This would be comparable to the current ESL, FSL, Library or Special Education Additional Qualifications Courses. Teachers intending to teach in these specialized settings are required to have completed at least Part 1 of these 3-part AQs, often with an agreement that the other two parts would be completed within a specified period of time. A three-part Kindergarten qualification would be comprehensive enough for participants to achieve, within the context of the Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice and Ethical Standards, the following expectations (grouped to suggest appropriate content for Parts 1, 2 and 3): Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
CAPE highly recommends to the Ontario College of Teachers that a three-part Kindergarten Additional Qualification be introduced immediately that would ultimately become a requirement for anyone teaching in Junior Kindergarten or Kindergarten in Ontario. 1 CAPE Constitution. www.capeonline.ca 2 Bennett, John (2004). Curriculum issues in national policy-making. Keynote address at the European Early Childhood Research Association Conference, Malta, Sept. 2, 2004, Paris: OECD. Available on-line at www.childcarecanada.org. 3 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2004). Early Childhood Education and Care Policy: Canada Country Note. p. 68.4 Whitebook, Marcie. (2003). Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Living Environments. A Review of the Literature. ERIC documents # 481219.5 Johnson, Laura C., Mathien, Julie. (1998) Early Childhood Services for Kindergarten-age Children in Four Canadian Provinces: Scope, Nature and Models for the Future. Caledon Institute of Social Policy6 Whitebook, Marcie. (2003). Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Living Environments. A Review of the Literature. ERIC documents # 481219.7 City News.Ca (2007). Ontario Plans for Full Day Kindergarten. Nov. 27, 2007.8 The Hamilton Spectator. (2007) McGuinty Spells out the ABCs of Full-Day Kindergarten Plan. Nov. 28,2007. 9 Jalongo, Mary Renck. (2007). Beyond Benchmarks and Scores: Reasserting the Role of Motivation and Interest in children’s Academic Achievement. Childhood Education (International Focus Issue 2007). Consultants/Coordinators’ Association of Primary Educators
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