What's New

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.

Read more


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? 

Read more


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).

Read more


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.

Read more


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...

Read More >

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.

Read more


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.


Sidebar Image