Chapter 2

A Human Story

2.5.2 Full-day kindergarten

In the spring of 2010, the government passed a law that established a full-day kindergarten program (FDK) for four- and five-year-olds, along with extended programs. Announced in the 2010 budget, this program was part of a government strategy designed to improve student achievement and reduce the school drop-out rate.

Some Francophone leaders continue to complain about the effects of implementing this program. In fact, several Francophone leaders drew the Commissioner’s attention to the risk of an exodus of early childhood educators (ECEs) leaving French-language daycares en masse for school boards because of their more generous compensation packages.

The introduction of this program has resulted in increased demand for ECEs and some child care programs, both French and English, have lost staff to school boards. The Ministry of Education received a complaint in July 2012 noting that French-language ECEs in the London area were leaving child care programs for positions with French-language school boards in FDK classrooms.

It is important to note that the movement of ECEs from child care programs to school boards is not unique to Francophone child care programs and is an issue across the sector. Since June 2010, there has been a standard compensation grid for ECEs working in school boards.

The Ministry continues to work closely with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities as well as the College of Early Childhood Educators to ensure more ECEs are trained across the province. Specifically, the need to increase the number of French-speaking ECEs is recognized, and that is why the Ministry-funded Early Childhood Educators Qualifications Upgrade Program has been targeting French-speaking child care staff seeking formal ECE qualifications.

Although this situation may be resolved as the education system turns out new ECEs, the short-term consequences of the problem are considerable: the risk that some French-language licensed child care programs will be eliminated or the daycare centres themselves will close and that the students will be diverted to English-language schools. As a result, there is increased danger of assimilation, and the Commissioner remains watchful.