Kindergarten

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Kindergarten

The Kindergarten Program

Full-Day Kindergarten Programs

The full-day Kindergarten program ensures that learning approaches are centred on children. This is informed by research on how young children learn. The Kindergarten program can be traced to the ELECT (Early Learning for Every Child Today) Framework.

student working on an alphabet puzzle

ELECT focused on six principles namely:

positive experiences,
partnerships with families/communities,
respect for diversity,
inclusion and equity,
intentional, planned learning experiences,
play and inquiry

The 2016 Kindergarten Program (PDF) sets out the principles, expectations, and approaches, that are appropriate for 4 and 5-year old children. It focuses on child development by integrating learning and overall well-being into the expectations and methods. Children's well-being is part of all aspects of the program.

The program also focuses on the formation of a healthy school (a school that is safe, inclusive, and helpful to learning.)

The Primary Goals of the Kindergarten Program

to establish a strong learning foundation for children in early years;
to help children transition smoothly from home, daycare, or preschool;
to allow children to reap many proven benefits of learning through relationships, and through play and inquiry;
to set children on a path of lifelong learning and nurture competencies that they will need to thrive in the world of today and tomorrow.

Kindergarten students learning outdoors

The Four Foundations of How Does Learning Happen?

Belonging refers to a sense of connectedness to others, an individual's experiences of being valued, of forming relationships with others and making contributions as part of a group, a community, the natural world.
Well-being addresses the importance of physical and mental health and wellness. It incorporates capacities such as self-care, sense of self, and self-regulation skills.
Engagement suggests a state of being involved and focused. When children are able to explore the world around them with their natural curiosity and exuberance, they are fully engaged. Through this type of play and inquiry, they develop skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, and innovating, which are essential for learning and success in school and beyond.
Expression or communication (to be heard, as well as to listen) may take many different forms. Through their bodies, words, and use of materials, children develop capacities for increasingly complex communication skills, which are foundational for literacy.

How does learning happen in Kindergarten?

a. Responsive relationships

In the Kindergarten program, children are taught the importance of positive interactions. Educators focus on building children's sense of belonging and self. The goal is to help kids feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. We want children to feel competent, capable, valued, and respected, at school.

b. Learning through play, inquiry, and exploration

The Kindergarten program also focuses on children learning through play, inquiry, and exploration which are skills needed for future success. The program emphasizes creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and constant application of what is learned.

c. Educators as co-learners

In the learning approach, educators are also learners. The program encourages teachers to find out more about their students in the same way children learn from their teachers. The more teachers learn about students, the better able they are to alter lessons to meet the needs of each student.

d. The environment as the third teacher

The program also focuses on allowing children to learn from their environment. For instance, the program incorporates the use of space, time and materials, among other elements, like how light sound influence senses.

Simple strategies that are being used by educators include, considering spaces from children's perspectives (e.g. what do children see from their height?) and organizing materials in a way that invites children to learn and explore, etc.

students building

Students learning outdoors

The Kindergarten program has encouraged an entire redesign of children spaces to make spaces more inviting and to match children's perspectives. The approach also extends learning to the outdoors to tap into children's natural curiosity. There is also a focus on incorporating natural outdoor elements in classrooms.

e. Reflective practice & collaborative inquiry

Our Kindergarten programs require educators to develop by reflecting with other teachers, children, their families and the community about children's learning. It is no longer a one-person show. Teachers must collaborate with other stakeholders as they look for ways of improving learning.

Children acquire many skills and make sense of their learning through a framework that includes four learning areas.

Belonging and Contributing

sense of connectedness to others
relationships with others and their contributions as part of a group, a community and the natural world
understanding of relationships and community, and of the ways in which people contribute to the world around them.

Self-Regulation and Well-being

their own thinking and feelings, and their recognition of and respect for differences in the thinking and feelings of others.
regulate their emotions, adapt to distractions, and assess the consequences of actions in a way that enables them to engage in learning.
physical and mental health and wellness

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviour

communicate thoughts and feelings - through gestures, physical movements, words, symbols and representations, as well as through the use of a variety of materials.
literacy behaviours through the use of language, images, and materials to express and think critically about ideas and emotions as they listen and speak, view and represent, and begin to read and write.
mathematics behaviours, evident in the various ways they use concepts of numbers and patterns during play, access, manage, create and evaluate information and experience a beginning understanding of mathematical relationships, concepts, skills and processes.
an active engagement in learning and a developing love of learning, which can instill the habit of learning for life.

Problem Solving and Innovating

explore the world through natural curiosity in ways that engage the mind, the senses, and the body.
make meaning of their world by asking questions, testing theories, solving problems, and engaging in creative and analytical thinking.
The innovative ways of thinking about and doing things that naturally arise through curiosity and applying those ideas in relationships with others, with materials, and with the environment.

Assessment and Communication of Learning

Kindergarten educators assess children based on the information they collect to evaluate a child's developmental progress and use insights gained to design new learning that matches a child's strengths and interests. Assessment is ongoing. It happens in all contexts, and it drives instruction.

All expectations are organized in an integrated way to reflect learning as it naturally occurs within inquiry and play both from the perspective of the educator and the child. These expectations are under the following four broad, cross-curricular frames:

Belonging and Contributing
Self-Regulation and Well-being
Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviour
Problem Solving and Innovating

Graphic emphasizing belonging, engagement, expression, and well-being.

Ongoing communication between the school and home is crucial to the reporting process. Kindergarten educators constantly assess and monitor student progress. The Kindergarten Communication of Learning, in combination with a formal interview, provides clear, detailed information to parents about their child’s key learning,the next steps for growth and what parents can do to support their child’s learning.

At the end of each reporting period, educators will communicate information about the child’s learning in three categories: Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps in Learning. These terms are defined as follows:

Key Learning refers to the most important or significant skills and/or understandings (knowledge) that your child has demonstrated during the reporting period.
Growth in Learning refers to positive developments in learning that your child has demonstrated over the reporting period.
Next Steps in Learning refers to ways in which your child can develop knowledge and skills at school and home.

Growing Success: The Kindergarten Addendum, (2016)

The Role of the Parent

In the Kindergarten program parents are encouraged to collaborate with educators to promote learning. Educators provide parents with information to help them understand their child's assessment process (e.g. how to identify their child's strengths, the best way to continue their child's learning, etc.)

Parents are encouraged to take part in their child's classroom learning experience, review learning documentation alongside educators and their children, as well as, share observations about their children with teachers.