What's New
Does Expanding Education "Schoolify" Early Development?
Canada is moving toward expanding education to include four-year-olds. Nova Scotia, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories have strong models in place, while Quebec is phasing it in. Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan have targeted programs that are raising interest.
JK’s role is supporting allophone children
The findings are clear. Allophone children who attended daycare (or pre-kindergarten at age four, though to a lesser extent) show better cognitive development, improved social and emotional skills, and greater communication abilities.
Junior Kindergarten’s ability to improve mental health outcomes for young children
The ability to manage emotions is thought to be important for regulating stress at a physiological level, yet no prior published studies have examined young children’s emotion understanding or knowledge in relation to the stress hormone cortisol.
The success of introducing Junior Kindergarten in New York City
A little more than a decade ago, Bill de Blasio, then the New York City public advocate preparing a run for mayor, sat at a window table in Bar Toto in Park Slope with his policy adviser Ursulina Ramirez. The two batted around an idea: What if every child in the city could attend pre-K?
Auspice and other policy-related variations in preschool practice in the United States: have public preschool programs been more academic?
We investigated the extent to which practices considered developmentally appropriate and inappropriate varied by preschool program auspice (private, public school, and Head Start).
Common Concerns about Junior Kindergarten
Capacity is always a concern, especially in urban areas. Therefore, other province opted to phase it in over a couple of years to deal with capacity issues, starting in rural areas where ample space exists.
Merging junior kindergarten into school system would help children, expand ECE access: advocates
The Jimmy Pratt Foundation is calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to merge junior kindergarten into the province's school system, which it says will better support children with affordable care and expand capacity for early childhood educators.
Open Letter to the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador to follow the research and expand the education system to include four-year-olds
Jimmy Pratt Foundation, November 26, 2024 On Monday, November 25th the following open letter was delivered to Premier Furey and released to the public today. As a voice for the children of this province, we call for the government to divert from their Pre-Kindergarten program which, in three years, continues...
Long Term Impact of Junior Kindergarten (2024)
Since 1995, publicly funded pre-K with universal eligibility has proliferated across the U.S. Universal pre-K (UPK) operates at great scale and serves children with a wide range of alternative childcare options.
Atlantic Region ECE Initiative
Young children are waiting for early learning and child care in Atlantic Canada and across the rest of the country. This matters. As children wait, their early learning is stifled, their parents are unable to work, with the economy foregoing needed skills, now and in the future.
Provinces atlantiques : Initiative en EPE
Au Canada, dans les provinces atlantiques et le reste du pays, les jeunes enfants doivent attendre pour l’apprentissage et la garde pour la petite enfance. Et ceci a un impact.
Findings of Recent Research
In Canada, just over half of 4-year-olds are enrolled in an early learning program that is part of the public education system and known as pre-primary, pre-kindergarten or junior kindergarten.
Résultats des recherches récentes
Au Canada, un peu plus de la moitié des enfants de 4 ans participent à un programme d’éducation à la petite enfance relevant du système public d’enseignement et se nommant préprimaire, prématernelle ou maternelle 4 ans.
Parent Perspectives of the Pre-Primary Program In Nova Scotia
Nova Scotian parents of young children were asked of their thoughts regarding the effectiveness of the provinces’ new publicly-funded, universal, early childhood education, program known as Pre-Primary.
Ce que pensent les parents du programme de prématernelle en Nouvelle-Écosse
On a demandé aux parents néo-écossais de jeunes enfants leur opinion au sujet du nouveau programme public universel d’éducation à la petite enfance, aussi nommé prématernelle.
Perspectives of Educators in Atlantic Canada
Educators across Nova Scotia (NS), New Brunswick (NB), and Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) were asked for their insights into publicly funded, schoolbased Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs.
Ce que pense le personnel éducatif au Canada, dans les provinces atlantiques
On a demandé aux membres du personnel éducatif de la petite enfance de la Nouvelle-Écosse (N.-É.), du Nouveau-Brunswick (N.-B.) et de Terre-Neuve-etLabrador (T.-N.-L.) leur opinion au sujet des programmes publics d’éducation à la petite enfance (EPE).
The Early Years for Everyone: Lessons from Nova Scotia
Jill Piers, Manager Pre-primary Operations, Department of Education & Early Childhood Development, Government of Nova Scotia presenting at the Putting the Public into Early Learning and Child Care Symposium, December 1, 2023, at the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, OISE, University of Toronto.
