tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/kindergarten-16605/articlesKindergarten – The Conversation2024-02-12T19:04:31Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2228462024-02-12T19:04:31Z2024-02-12T19:04:31ZChanges are coming to Ontario’s kindergarten program — what parents and caregivers need to know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574435/original/file-20240208-24-5pusnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C592%2C4927%2C2697&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Back to basics' language used by the government distracts from the importance of continuously updating and revising curriculum. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce recently announced Ontario’s full-day kindergarten program is undergoing an <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-announces-overhaul-of-kindergarten-curriculum-1.6738400">“overhaul” which will help “to create more systemic approaches to reading instruction and the introduction, in a very basic way, of mathematical skills and numeracy skills</a>.”</p>
<p>What do these proposed changes mean for educators, parents and children? </p>
<p>The proposed revisions must be considered and understood in the context of 1) <a href="https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/kindergarten">the current full-day play-based kindergarten curriculum</a>, and 2) <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report">recommendations and research that emerged from Ontario’s Right to Read report</a>, released in February 2022, stemming from an inquiry of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC). </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/Right%20to%20Read%20Executive%20Summary_OHRC%20English_0.pdf">Right to Read inquiry</a> revealed Ontario’s public education system was not using evidence-based approaches to teach children with reading disabilities (and others) how to read. The education minister also said curricular updates are in keeping with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/right-to-read-inquiry-report-literacy-ontario-1.6378408">the Right to Read report’s recommendations</a>.</p>
<p>While the province says kindergarten updates will be <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004097/ontario-unveils-a-back-to-basics-kindergarten-curriculum">combined with “hands-on and play-based learning</a>” there are concerns that play-based aspects of the curriculum — also grounded in <a href="https://theconversation.com/full-day-kindergarten-the-best-of-what-we-imagined-is-happening-in-classrooms-112602">evidence-based approaches to child development</a> — could be impacted by curricular revisions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child seen holding a book." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574439/original/file-20240208-18-9w9ojl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Curricular updates are in keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read report recommendations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Teaching reading isn’t basic</h2>
<p>The “back to basics” language used in the province’s kindergarten announcement is intentionally and strategically tied to Premier Doug Ford’s promise in his <a href="https://ontariopc.ca/">election campaign</a> and is a slogan that Ford (and his team) have <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/premier-doug-ford-says-education-is-going-back-to-the-basics/article_50d11e2c-871b-5818-9c8d-c4aa33b6bc47.html">continued to use since becoming premier</a>. </p>
<p>It is not surprising that this political strategy is being used to market updates to the kindergarten program. </p>
<p>However, this language distracts from the importance of continuously updating and revising curriculum across the kindergarten to Grade 12 education sector. </p>
<p>It’s also important to note that the phrase “basics” is contradictory to what we know about the science of reading: teaching reading is anything but basic and <a href="https://www.aft.org/ae/summer2020/moats">involves understanding reading psychology and development, understanding language structure, applying evidence-based practices and using validated and reliable assessments to inform teaching</a>. </p>
<h2>Ontario’s full-day play-based kindergarten</h2>
<p>The current kindergarten curriculum has been in effect following a 2010 public policy shift. <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/resources/issue-files/resources/issue-files/resources/issue-files/resources/issue-files/resources">Based on recommendations from Ontario’s special advisor on early learning</a>, <a href="https://www.hdsb.ca/Documents/FDK-Parent-Fact-Sheet.pdf">in 2010 Ontario</a> began phasing in full-day play-based kindergarten for all four- and five-year old children. </p>
<p>This shift was also informed by <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/home/sites/default/files/2023-10/6-2014_-_ontario_s_full-day_kindergarten_a_bold_public_policy_initiative.pdf">interviews, focus groups and published scientific research on early learning</a>.</p>
<p>Essential to the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016">revised kindergarten program</a> was the play-based structure of the full-day program. So was the delivery of the model by a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-team-approach-makes-full-day-kindergarten-a-success-113339">teaching team</a> of an Ontario certified teacher and a registered early childhood educator. </p>
<p>Decisions to revise the earlier half-day kindergarten program acknowledged and leveraged research on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kindergarten-scrapbooks-arent-just-your-childs-keepsake-theyre-central-to-learning-117066">value of play</a> and its role in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3097">supporting academic, social and emotional development</a>. </p>
<p>It is important to note that <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/books/edu_the_kindergarten_program_english_aoda_web_oct7.pdf">misconceptions exist about play-based learning</a>, including the belief that play-based learning means letting children do whatever they want. Evidence-based play-based learning <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/books/edu_the_kindergarten_program_english_aoda_web_oct7.pdf">“…involves educators being deliberate and purposeful in creating play-based learning environments</a>.” </p>
<p>Furthermore, play is a basic human right of all children as recognized in the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a>. The revised play-based model in Ontario had (and continues to have) both empirical and philosophical grounds.</p>
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<img alt="An educator seen at a table with children with musical instruments." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574443/original/file-20240208-22-4mox38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Educators are involved in the purposeful creation of play-based learning environments.‘</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The OHRC Right to Read report</h2>
<p>Changes to the above model are now being made in response to recommendations from the Right to Read inquiry. </p>
<p>The inquiry’s report includes 157 recommendations directly tied to addressing systemic issues affecting children’s right to read. These <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report/appendix-1-list-recommendations">involve changes to curriculum, instruction and interventions and screening and assessments</a> related to reading. The recommendations for curriculum and instruction focus on the need for evidence-based direct and explicit instruction. </p>
<p>These recommendations were made based on the <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report/executive-summary">most up-to-date research on reading, lived experiences of students, families and educators and informed by expertise in the area of human rights</a>. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reading-disabilities-are-a-human-rights-issue-saskatchewan-joins-calls-to-address-barriers-214129">Reading disabilities are a human rights issue — Saskatchewan joins calls to address barriers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Right to Read report states: “Implementing the OHRC’s recommendations will ensure more equitable opportunities and outcomes for students in Ontario’s public education system.”</p>
<p>In keeping with prior revisions to the Ontario Kindergarten program, current plans to update kindergarten curriculum are being made based on empirical and philosophical grounds.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iney0cEpx24?wmode=transparent&start=13" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from the Right to Read inquiry.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Not an either/or conversation</h2>
<p>As revisions to Ontario’s kindergarten curriculum unfold, stakeholders need to ensure the best scientific research in both play-based learning and early reading are leveraged to ensure the success of all young children. </p>
<p>The beauty is that play-based learning is not an all-or-nothing approach. Drawing on the benefits of playful learning and using these strategies in combination with evidence-based direct instructional practices in kindergarten will be essential to successfully integrating proposed revisions. </p>
<p>There are many educators in Ontario who already offer meaningful play-based learning opportunities and direct and systematic instruction in their classrooms. </p>
<p>This is evidenced in research published in 2016 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1220771">by early childhood researchers Angela Pyle and Erica Danniels</a> and also in follow-up research by Pyle and colleagues in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0852-Z">2018</a> which focused on how play and literacy interface in full-day kindergarten classrooms. </p>
<p>My current research in kindergarten classrooms, to be published later this year, examines how educators use a range of approaches (including teacher-directed play) to support children’s literacy and self-regulation outcomes. This research has, to date, also documented kindergarten educators using systematic instruction in combination with play-based learning.</p>
<h2>Educators need development, resources</h2>
<p>What’s needed is to ensure kindergarten educators are being provided with training and professional development to effectively lead classrooms utilizing both play-based learning and systematic instruction in reading, writing and math. This task is anything from basic — but is 100 per cent possible and necessary. </p>
<p>As curricular revisions are made, we must ask: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Who are the stakeholders that are being invited to make the revisions to the curriculum? </p></li>
<li><p>Who is missing from the conversations? </p></li>
<li><p>What research is being used? </p></li>
<li><p>What type of training will be provided to educators? </p></li>
<li><p>Will this training include a focus on what it means to teach in evidence-based ways — and how to do so? </p></li>
<li><p>Will policymakers consider class size and sufficient resourcing for teachers so all students have the classroom supports required to ensure these changes will have real impact?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In updating a curriculum, we cannot merely add additional content for educators to cover each day. </p>
<p>Instead, we need to consider what these changes mean and how we can best support educators in successfully supporting children’s learning — through both play-based learning and direct instruction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222846/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristy Timmons received funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Queen's University, an Ontario Certified Teacher, and a Registered Early Childhood Educator. </span></em></p>We need to ensure the best scientific research in play-based learning and early reading is leveraged, and teachers receive supports to meet children’s developmental and academic needs.Kristy Timmons, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2214442024-01-25T16:08:01Z2024-01-25T16:08:01ZIn most provinces, 4-year-olds aren’t at school — but it’s an economically smart way to create child-care spaces<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/in-most-provinces-4-year-olds-arent-at-school-but-its-an-economically-smart-way-to-create-child-care-spaces" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Economists have been increasingly vocal on the fiscal rationale for strategic investments in the early years. </p>
<p>But how to invest wisely? </p>
<p>In 2024, the question is urgent as provinces and territories look to the second half of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories.html">Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements (CWELCC)</a> signed in 2021 with a promise of $10-a-day child care, and many <a href="https://childcarepolicy.net/the-story-coming-from-the-cselcc-survey-i-dont-think-were-going-to-make-itnot-even-close">scramble to meet the exploding demand</a> for space. </p>
<p>Yet $10-a-day day child care <a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/new-study-shows-few-low-income-families-benefiting-from-10-daycare-in-b-c-1.6691486">remains a pipe dream for many families</a>. </p>
<p>One leading <a href="https://www.deloitte.com/gh/en/about/people/profiles.3b68a259.html">Canadian economist, Craig Alexander</a>,<br>
<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-public-schools-can-address-canadas-child-care-deserts/">has presented a strong argument for</a> leaning on <a href="http://mwmccain.ca/reports/2023/12/04/seven-benefits-building-down-public-education-younger-children/">the neighbourhood public school in the push to expand early learning</a>. </p>
<h2>Free programs for four-year-olds</h2>
<p>As an early childhood researcher, I waded into this conversation in 2023 by presenting <a href="https://theconversation.com/childrens-early-learning-belongs-in-neighbourhood-schools-209826">international evidence for linking early education with the public school system</a>. </p>
<p>Four-year-olds <a href="https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/kindergarten">in Ontario</a>, <a href="https://www.ednet.ns.ca/pre-primary">Nova Scotia</a> and <a href="https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/junior-kindergartenkindergarten">the Northwest Territories</a> are students in their neighbourhood schools, enjoying play-based programs with their peers, free of charge. </p>
<p>Many four-year-olds in the rest of Canada — or at least their parents and caregivers — are searching for child-care spaces. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/child-care-ontario-funding-1.7083821#">While Ontario</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/education-department-community-conversations-child-care-1.7014070#:%7E:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20day%2Dcare,lengthy%20wait%2Dlists%20for%20spaces.">Nova Scotia and</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-parents-desperate-for-child-care-1.6767899">the Northwest Territories</a> face challenges with expanding child-care spaces, one thing they’ve gotten right is taking four-year-olds out of the equation by providing them free all-day, school-based programs. </p>
<p>When four- and five-year-old children are provided with a full day of schooling, it can free space in child care for younger children, while <a href="https://ecereport.ca/en/workforce-report/">strengthening the early years work force through</a> more stable and lucrative employment in neighbourhood schools.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fDUOxX0XJzw?wmode=transparent&start=9" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video about Nova Scotia’s school-based pre-primary program.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Evidence for financial return</h2>
<p>In 2010, <em>The Early Years Study 3</em> <a href="https://earlyyearsstudy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EYS3.pdf">profiled a growing economic argument for investments in the early years</a> and identified how this reaps a healthy financial return for governments. </p>
<p>Since then, many Canadian economists continue to provide evidence for this: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>In 2012, <a href="https://cffp.recherche.usherbrooke.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cr_2012-02_impact_of_quebecs_universal_low_fee.pdf">Pierre Fortin</a> and colleagues provided empirical evidence for this financial return. </p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/home/sites/default/files/2023-10/child_care_in_new_brunswick_-_the_social_economic_impacts_-_nov_2015.pdf">In 2015, Elizabeth Dhuey joined this argument</a> for the socio-economic rationale of strategic investments in the early years. </p></li>
<li><p>Post-COVID-19, Jim Stanford identified that <a href="https://centreforfuturework.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ELCC-Report-Formatted-FINAL-FINAL.pdf">investing in the early years was imperative to rebuilding the country’s economy</a>. </p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-22-2020-1.5580159/without-more-support-for-child-care-economic-recovery-will-be-slow-says-expert-1.5581464">Armine Yalnizyan coined the phrase “she-covery”</a> in referencing the importance of child care as countries embark on post-COVID-19 economic recovery.</p></li>
<li><p>And, Gordon Cleveland’s 2021 economic analysis of <a href="https://www.etfo.ca/getmedia/05d5d7d5-4253-48ca-92d5-6b0b7e261792/210204_ExecSummaryDrGordon.pdf">Ontario’s use of public schools for four-year-olds</a> authored for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario concluded school-based four-year-old programs are much more cost-efficient than non-school based programs, and that these bring better educational outcomes for children. </p></li>
</ul>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Video about the Northwest Territories kindergarten program.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>International evidence for school progrmas</h2>
<p>Alexander’s 2023 research on this issue follows his 2017 Canada Conference Board study on the <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/product/ready-for-life-a-socio-economic-analysis-of-early-childhood-education-and-care/">long-term positive economic impact of quality early learning across lifespans</a> and a 2012 TD economics literature review he co-authored about <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/childcareon/pages/234/attachments/original/1371740525/di1112_EarlyChildhoodEducation.pdf?1371740525">the widespread and long-lasting benefits of early childhood education</a>.</p>
<p>His rationale for expanding <a href="http://mwmccain.ca/reports/2023/12/04/seven-benefits-building-down-public-education-younger-children">early learning through schools</a> centres around seven core arguments:</p>
<p><strong>1. Schools are in every neighbourhood, helping <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2023/05/not-done-yet%20%281%29.pdf">eliminate childcare deserts</a>.</strong> By relying on existing infrastructure and space, especially in rural areas where excess capacity exists, early learning can expand quickly at little cost to governments and at great convenience to children and families. </p>
<p><strong>2. Schools deliver programs that can maximize inclusivity and diversity, boosting the impact of ELCC expansion.</strong> Alexander notes the exceptionally high enrolment of all children in free and accessible public school programs. In schools, expertise and resources exist to accommodate diverse learners through specialist educators, counsellors, psychologists and therapists. </p>
<p><strong>3. School programs can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/25216031">provide a continuum</a> of high-quality learning.</strong> Schools have a mandate and monitoring systems in place, to ensure quality education, strong outcomes, streamlined curriculum and smooth transitions. </p>
<p><strong>4. Schools attract and retain top-quality early childhood educators and lift market competition for ECEs, which can increase compensation in the sector broadly.</strong> The stability of schools, unionized staff, higher salaries and benefits — plus better working conditions — offer <a href="https://ecereport.ca/media/uploads/wr-downloads/canadas_children_need_a_professional_early_childhood_education_workforce.pdf">early child educators not only more stable employment but career advancement</a> opportunities and professional support.</p>
<p><strong>5. Schools have economies of scale due to being part of the public sector.</strong> Most early learning centres have limited purchasing power. Neighbourhood schools are better positioned to negotiate deals through purchasing quantity that motivates efficiencies, lowers expenses and maximizes resources for programs.</p>
<p><strong>6. Schools have strong governance and political accountability for outcomes.</strong>
Schools excel at program accountability and monitoring, public reporting and close scrutiny. Their data collection for program assessment is easier than surveys of licensed care providers: for example, early years centres are monitored by ministry inspectors who visit periodically to ensure adherence to the regulations.
School governance structures and resources are well-established.</p>
<p><strong>7. Schools eliminate the risk of market-based supply disruptions (like sudden closures due to low profit margins, sick staff or damaged infrastructure like a burst pipe); they reduce the risk of politically triggered supply disruptions</strong> (like if governments decide to de-fund public child-care and early education). Schools are less precarious, allowing families a greater sense of stability and children greater continuity of care. </p>
<p>Alexander’s work validates the growing movement by governments relying on the neighbourhood school for children’s early learning. </p>
<p>It reflects <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-doesnt-canada-let-schools-provide-child-care-188419">existing international practice in European countries such as Spain</a>, and emerging <a href="https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/news/2023/12/labour-reportedly-planning-fund-new-nurseries-primary-schools#">practice in countries like England</a>. </p>
<p>It addresses the need for child-care spaces by embracing quality and <a href="https://theconversation.com/child-care-or-education-words-matter-in-how-we-envision-living-well-with-children-198034">viewing early learning as early education, economically wise</a> and educationally sound. </p>
<p>Schools can do this better — something the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-look-for-in-a-high-quality-pre-primary-or-junior-kindergarten-program-189060">province of Nova Scotia is demonstrating with their new</a> school-based pre-primary program.</p>
<h2>Alarms sounding for agreements</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, alarms are sounding for the CWELCC agreements. While much has been achieved, much more is needed as many <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2023/10/measuring-matters-FINAL-October%2027%202023.pdf">centres are at capacity and unable to expand further</a>. </p>
<p>Availing of capacity in neighbourhood schools, especially in rural areas where classrooms sit empty, offers an opportunity for rapid expansion. </p>
<p>Craig Alexander’s advice is timely and informed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221444/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Philpott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It makes good economic sense to lean on the neighbourhood public school in the push to expand early learning.David Philpott, Professor, Special Education, Memorial University of NewfoundlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2098262023-08-28T21:42:27Z2023-08-28T21:42:27ZChildren’s early learning belongs in neighbourhood schools<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/childrens-early-learning-belongs-in-neighbourhood-schools" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The beginning of each school year brings an opportunity to reflect, for children, families and also for policymakers. Some important lessons pertain to effective ways provinces and territories <a href="https://irpp.org/research-studies/early-learning-and-child-care-in-canada/">can expand children’s and families’ access</a> to early learning programs. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/04/budget-2021-a-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-plan.html">Canada-wide early learning and child-care agreements</a> established between the federal government and provinces or territories allow governments to be creative with increasing access. Research can guide that creativity by linking the early years to neighbourhood schools. </p>
<p>Programs for four-year-olds (alternately known as pre-kindergarten, pre-primary, junior kindergarten or two-year kindergarten, depending on the area) belong in neighbourhood schools, closely tied into the cascade of schools’ curriculum, teaching and learning expertise. These programs establish a continuum of learning and healthy child development. </p>
<p>Right now, access to schooling for four-year-olds <a href="https://ecereport.ca">is not consistent across the country</a>, as noted by the Early Childhood Education report by the not-for-profit Atkinson Centre. </p>
<p>For example, Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have part-time programs for some high-risk children only, while Ontario, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia offer universal full-day junior kindergarten in neighbourhood schools.</p>
<p>Ample evidence points towards <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-doesnt-canada-let-schools-provide-child-care-188419">benefits and practical ways of offering high-quality early learning programs</a> in schools quickly and efficiently.</p>
<h2>Relying on school infrastructure</h2>
<p>Schools can launch early learning and care fast and well by including four-year-olds in the neighbourhood school in programs offered by the school, free of charge. These programs <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/documents/research-policy-practice/21/12/10-day-child-care-will-it-really-reduce-barriers-employment">recognize that any fee, even $10 a day, is a challenge</a> for many, especially those who most need the program. </p>
<p>This approach is efficient and effective, child-friendly and family focused, and informed by a wealth of international research.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child and teacher seen in discussion at a table in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544647/original/file-20230824-2922-lty3yt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Governments can focus on extending existing infrastructure and resources of their schools to serve four-year-olds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Creating more early years spaces</h2>
<p>Ample examples exist of governments who have effectively launched school based early learning programs:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>In 2021, 5,900 Nova Scotia children enrolled in pre-primary, after the province first <a href="https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20201002005">launched the program in 2017</a>. <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/ECEC2021-Northwest-Territories_0.pdf">The Northwest Territories</a> created just over 500 spaces in a similar time frame. </p></li>
<li><p>In 2021-22, with its large and disbursed population, <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/facts-about-elementary-and-secondary-education#section-3">Ontario enrolled over 250,000 children within five years</a> in what has become a <a href="https://www.etfo.ca/news-publications/publications/ontario-s-kindergarten-program-a-success-story-full-report,">popular and successful two-year kindergarten program that begins at age four</a>.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/kindergarten">The Québec government</a> is gradually expanding <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/education/prescolaire-primaire-et-secondaire/maternelle">their program for four-year-olds</a> into a universal program operated <a href="https://www.nfsb.qc.ca/kindergarten">by public schools</a>. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Canadian success with school-based pre-kindergarten reflects international experiences, including in the United States: </p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28756">In Boston, where a pre-kindergarten program</a> was established in the 1990’s, researchers are documenting the lifelong boost <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/boston-free-universal-pre-k_n_64a7f68be4b03d308d946c76">enjoyed by children and economies</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Many school districts in <a href="https://mailchi.mp/learningpolicyinstitute/california-added-a-new-grade-to-public-schools-how-is-it-going?e=d9ba33f225">California plan to be ahead of schedule</a> in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-05-10/california-wants-to-provide-preschool-for-all-but-districts-face-a-rocky-road-ahead-essential-california">adding a new grade</a> to their school system to accommodate four-year-olds.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>High-quality programs</h2>
<p>For many governments, relying on infrastructure and resources of neighbourhood schools has been an effective way to expand access to quality early childhood education. Similar lessons were learned in many schools’ move to full-day kindergarten <a href="https://ecereport.ca/en/resources/charts-graphs/overview/early-childhood-education-report-2020/">for five-year-olds, once unheard of but now enjoyed by all but three provinces in Canada</a>. </p>
<p>As regions across Canada work to meet the expansion requirements outlined in the federal agreements, enrolment numbers for existing school-based programs for four-year-olds offer an attractive route toward creating more early years spaces.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-look-for-in-a-high-quality-pre-primary-or-junior-kindergarten-program-189060">What to look for in a high-quality 'pre-primary' or junior kindergarten program</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is not just the rate of expansion that is impressive; so too is the quality of programs. Well-trained educators are attracted to working in neighbourhood schools with better pay packages and staff support. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten share curriculum and teaching approaches that make play the heart of education while cultivating children’s enjoyment of learning. </p>
<p>Schools, with curriculum leaders, professional development plans and accountability structures, are better able to monitor and promote quality than the current mix of child-care providers. </p>
<h2>Short- and long-term benefits</h2>
<p><a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/article/view/9386">National</a> and <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/article/view/9385">international</a> research confirms that including four-year-olds in early childhood education boosts literacy, numeracy and language learning and behavioural regulation while ensuring <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/product/ready-for-life-a-socio-economic-analysis-of-early-childhood-education-and-care/">higher graduation rates, post-secondary enrolments, family incomes and reduced draws on social programs</a>. </p>
<p>High-quality early childhood education <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/issue/view/1054">lowers special education rates</a> and lessens the intensity of supports required for children with identified exceptionalities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-quality-early-childhood-education-reduces-need-for-later-special-ed-112275">New research shows quality early childhood education reduces need for later special ed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When children are in school-based programs, they enjoy the resources of the school such as gymnasiums and libraries. They have access to support staff such as speech therapists, counsellors and psychologists. Families enjoy having all their children at one site, and can sometimes also rely on busing. </p>
<p>School-based education for four-year olds is particularly appropriate in rural areas where declining populations preclude any viable model of early years programs while schools struggle to maintain enrolment and stay open. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.etfo.ca/news-publications/publications/ontario-s-kindergarten-program-a-success-story-full-report,">An economic evaluation of Ontario’s model</a> yielded glowing reports on the wisdom of the investment.</p>
<h2>Return on investment, continuity of learning</h2>
<p>A report from the Roosevelt Institute, a not-for-profit think tank in the United States, notes “<a href="https://rooseveltinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/RI_Childcare-as-Industrial-Policy-Blueprint_Report_202306.pdf">studies of early care and education programs beginning at birth targeted to disadvantaged groups</a> — such as children in low-income communities of color — have demonstrated significant improvements in their long-term education, health, and employment outcomes, leading economist James Heckman to estimate a 13 percent per year return on investment for similar programs.” New York’s pre-kindergarten program created 70,000 spaces in two years. </p>
<p><a href="https://ourplace.org.au/our-place-publication-col/">In Australia, efforts to align programs serving three- and four-year-olds</a> with primary grades stress the significance of learning and teaching that smooths the transition for children and families and optimizes academic and developmental outcomes.</p>
<h2>Early learning is early education</h2>
<p>Strategic planning creates efficiencies through programs informed by research and which assure quality. Families do not want more poor programs for their children. They need to know that their children are immersed in high-quality early learning and they do not want to be exhausted in their search for it.</p>
<p>Early learning <a href="https://earlyyearsstudy.ca">is early education</a>. It belongs under the purview of Ministries of Education. The federal government invested in children’s early learning and child-care because it finally accepted the wisdom of doing so — for children’s learning and development, for families’ well-being, for the economy and for communities optimal social outcomes. </p>
<p>The lessons that we need to learn in our move towards pre-kindergarten tell us much about where early learning and child care needs to be secured. Governments struggling to increase capacity to meet the demand for child care space would be wise to learn these lessons.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209826/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Philpott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Access to schooling for four-year-olds is inconsistent across Canada. Families need to know children are immersed in high-quality early learning, and they shouldn’t be exhausted searching for it.David Philpott, Professor, Special Education, Memorial University of NewfoundlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099372023-07-27T20:10:12Z2023-07-27T20:10:12ZWhy B.C. has ended letter grades for younger students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538780/original/file-20230721-17-c8rqc3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1372%2C350%2C5108%2C3444&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">B.C. Premier David Eby signs a student's cast as he visits a classroom to mark the opening of the new Bayview Community Elementary School, in Vancouver, B.C., April 13, 2023. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-bc-has-ended-letter-grades-for-students-in-kindergarten-to-grade-9" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>In British Columbia, the province’s move away from letter grades for some students has <a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/9797857/mixed-opinions-on-students-moving-to-proficiency-grading-scale/">produced anxiety</a> or has been opposed by <a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-pursues-plan-to-end-letter-grades-despite-opposition-from-parents-teachers-students-1.6456772">some parents and teachers</a>. </p>
<p>“Beginning in the 2023/24 school year, all school districts in B.C. will no longer use letter grades for grades 4-9, and will implement the Provincial Proficiency Scale on report cards for students in grades K-9,” a spokesperson for the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care said in an email to <em>The Conversation Canada</em>.</p>
<p>“At least half of B.C. students are familiar with this type of report card as it is already in place in their school district.”</p>
<p>The B.C. changes reflect larger paradigm shifts in education. But for many people, letting go of the older model is not easy. </p>
<p>Anxiety and discomfort about this change <a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/9797857/mixed-opinions-on-students-moving-to-proficiency-grading-scale">could be alleviated by unpacking the rationale behind it</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A parent and child seen crossing a crosswalk to go to school." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538782/original/file-20230721-23-toota7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Letting go of a letter-grade model isn’t necessarily easy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Curriculum overhaul</h2>
<p>British Columbia’s kindergarten to Grade 12 education system has been undergoing <a href="https://www.bctf.ca/news-and-opportunities/news-details/2019/08/02/the-politics-of-curriculum-making-understanding-the-possibilities-for-and-limitations-to-a-teacher-led-curriculum-in-british-columbia">an overhaul</a> since 2010. </p>
<p>Roots of this transformation lie in the <a href="https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/rethinking-curriculum">shifting needs of the economy, away from industrialization and towards a more “technologically-rich” world</a>. Adoption of the new curriculum occurred <a href="https://www.cotronline.ca/pluginfile.php/495272/mod_resource/content/1/BC%20K-12%20Curriculum%20Timeline%20of%20Rollout.pdf">in phases</a>, beginning in 2015 for kindergarten to Grade 9, and in 2019 for grades 10 through 12. </p>
<p>The move to proficiency scale assessment is one aspect of this larger transformation. The scale visualizes learning as a continuum where students progress through the stages of Emerging, Developing, Proficient and Extending.</p>
<h2>The rationale</h2>
<p>The centrepiece of B.C.’s new curriculum is a set of <a href="https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies">core competencies</a> — cross-curricular proficiencies for students in the domains of communication, critical thinking and social-emotional awareness and relations. Teachers will use the scale <a href="https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/assessment/a-framework-for-classroom-assessment.pdf">to assess how students are doing</a> in developing these competencies.</p>
<p>The scale operates from <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/student-reporting-for-families">a strengths-based perspective</a> that views all students as coming to school with inherent skills. Classroom learning seeks to build upon this.</p>
<p>Proficiency scale assessment regards learning as ongoing, whereas the letter grade and percentages system viewed learning as an event with a definite end.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538781/original/file-20230721-6786-2w0qdx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scale-style assessment operates with the notion that all students come to school with inherent skills. A classroom is seen in Vancouver, B.C. in April 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Letter grades: highlighting students’ deficits</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.weareuca.org/s/edutopiaorg-Will-Letter-Grades-Survive.pdf">Letter grades and percentages</a> position some students (with As or Bs) as having strengths, while other students (with Cs or Ds) are regarded as not even being on the continuum of learning. Letter grades highlight the deficits of underperforming students, thereby perpetuating a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. They also only give a snapshot of current achievement.</p>
<p>By contrast, scale-style assessment offers a broader outlook because it considers student learning over time. With the new curriculum, scores on tests are not all that matter. Teachers are encouraged to assign equal value to all the learning that happens between tests, including through <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-1727-5_11">formative</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-24359-004">descriptive feedback</a> that students subsequently reflect upon and implement to further refine their work. </p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.bctf.ca/news-and-opportunities/news-details/2021/06/11/growth-not-grades-student-centred-assessment">educators observe that</a> continuous <a href="https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.cbe-14-03-0054">descriptive feedback</a> is more effective <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/information-for-parents-and-caregivers-what-is-descriptive-feedback.pdf">in helping students</a> concretely understand their strengths and shortcomings. </p>
<p>Although letter grades had the appearance of being definitive, they were ambiguous: students received the very visible stamp of a letter grade or percentage but had little understanding of how that grade came to be.</p>
<h2>Process of learning</h2>
<p>The most important aspect of the proficiency scale is its focus on the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-school-report-cards-should-be-clear-not-confusing/">process of learning</a> itself. </p>
<p>For example, a student’s position on the scale in Language Arts is determined by more comprehensive measures that include: </p>
<ul>
<li>teacher observations of how well the student understands and can apply concepts; </li>
<li>conversations with the student in which the student communicates their understanding of a given concept;</li>
<li>class activities/assignments where the student gets to apply the concept and refine its usage;</li>
<li>any formal assessments, which may not be tests but rather projects where the student gets to robustly show their learning by integrating various concepts. </li>
</ul>
<p>B.C.’s scale-based assessment helps students <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_4">to not only understand facts</a>, but also the processes behind how those facts come to be. By teaching students about the process behind various concepts, the intention is that they will be able to transfer those skills across various areas of schooling, which previously were subject specific.</p>
<h2>Particular criticisms, questions</h2>
<p>One source of parental anxiety relates to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9792360/parent-student-react-no-letter-grades/">the feeling that the scale is subjective and unclear</a>. To this end, <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-top-scholar-students-really-so-remarkable-or-are-teachers-inflating-their-grades-191035">all forms of assessment and reporting are subjective to some degree</a>. Scale-based assessment, through its use of descriptive feedback, hopes to clarify the basis of assessment.</p>
<p>I’ve heard other parents express concern around the flip-flop between how the scale is applied in kindergarten to Grade 9, but not in grades 10 through 12 or post-secondary institutions. </p>
<p>They wonder: How will children in B.C. fare when for the first 10 years of their education experience they were assessed using the proficiency scale, only to have to revert to letter grades for grades 10 through 12 and post-secondary? </p>
<p>They’re also concerned that the proficiency scale may cause students to lose their <a href="https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/06/26/bc-parents-student-letter-grades/">competitive edge</a>, given that it values independent learning over competition. </p>
<p>Scale-based assessment does not necessarily ignore competition. Instead, it asks students to consider their competitive relationship with themselves first, before considering it with others.</p>
<h2>Face-to-face conversations needed</h2>
<p>My unique vantage point as both an educator and researcher enables me to see how policies translate in living classrooms and in the public at large. I have a helpful tip for the Ministry and schools, and this relates to communication. </p>
<p>The anxieties of stakeholders largely relate to people not understanding the rationale behind this change or how to interpret it. Some anxiety and criticism about the change is grounded in how entrenched letter grades have been in B.C.’s education system — and indeed, in mainstream western education. </p>
<p>The ministry, school district leaders, principals and educators need to do a better job communicating the intentions of this change. <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/unpacking-the-proficency-scale-support-for-educators.pdf">Online information may be helpful</a>, but ongoing old-fashioned face-to-face conversation is also required. </p>
<p>Parents, especially parents of English-language learners, need to directly hear from teachers and administrators via open houses or parent advisory councils because of the fog which surrounds this change. </p>
<p>Lifting this fog and bringing B.C.’s Proficiency Scale out from the shadows and into the sunlight will likely reduce anxieties and increase its acceptance as an effective tool for learning.</p>
<p><em>This is a corrected version of a story originally published on July 27, 2023. The earlier version said B.C. has ended letter grades for students in kindergarten to Grade 9, instead of in grades 4 to 9.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor Brar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Parents need to directly hear from teachers and administrators via open houses or parent advisory councils to lift the fog of confusion and concern surrounding this change.Victor Brar, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Education, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2023012023-04-18T20:02:44Z2023-04-18T20:02:44ZWhen kids like the box more than the toy: The benefits of playing with everyday objects<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521611/original/file-20230418-1223-8sess3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=658%2C77%2C3604%2C3037&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If children love boxes and other upcycled items, do parents really need to invest in 'eco toys'? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many have observed that sometimes when given a toy as a present, <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-young-children-often-prefer-wrapping-paper-and-boxes-to-actual-presents-70671">children play with the box the toy came in, or even the gift wrapping</a>.</p>
<p>In earlier generations, children’s play materials were often homemade or relatively simple. Commercial or hand-made toys were made from durable and long-lasting materials. </p>
<p>Today, mass-produced plastic toys with <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ueQUEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA25&dq=Sluss,+2021+play+materials&ots=uHtTVA0FaS&sig=3Tyyl726iZarZtpM0QqOe13hgjc#v=onepage&q=Sluss%2C%202021%20play%20materials&f=false">limited purpose have permanently entered children’s learning environments</a>. These toys are often designed to be used in specific ways, with limited imaginative play opportunities. </p>
<p>A trend in <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120194.pdf">the marketing of</a> sustainable toys coincides both with addressing ecological concerns, and with educational interest in play materials that <a href="https://fairydustteaching.com/2016/10/loose-parts">allow children to play</a> in many ways.</p>
<p>A type of play known by researchers and educators as “loose parts play” <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1225658.pdf">involves children</a> playing with and re-purposing materials that <a href="https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Loose-Parts-Play-Toolkit-2019-web.pdf">can be used in multiple ways</a>. This can include playing with everyday, natural or manufactured parts (like cardboard, sticks, pots and pans, sand or beads not originally intended for play) or with commercial toys like blocks or stackable cups.</p>
<p>The language of <a href="https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/SDEC/article/view/1204/1171">loose parts</a> to talk about the use of unrestricted items in children’s play was first used by architect Simon Nicholson in the 70s, who discussed a “theory of loose parts” when writing about playground and educational design.</p>
<p>My research with colleagues is examining which materials — including store-bought and natural or upcycled items — are most conducive to specific types of quality play in young children’s environments. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A toddler seen playing with blocks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Through play, children make connections and integrate their experiences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>What is play?</h2>
<p>Play is often defined as an activity pursued <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-21781-011">for its own sake and characterized largely by its processes rather than end goals</a>. Although the exact definition of play is debated, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9680672/">researchers agree it is exceptionally complex</a>.</p>
<p>Play has also been described as an integrating process, <a href="https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/school-readiness/according-experts/role-schools-and-communities-childrens-school-transition">providing an ecosystem where children can make connections between previous experiences</a>, represent their ideas in different ways, imagine possibilities, explore and create new meanings. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mathematical-thinking-begins-in-the-early-years-with-dialogue-and-real-world-exploration-128282">Mathematical thinking begins in the early years with dialogue and real-world exploration</a>
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<p>Such complexity can be seen in children’s play themes, materials, content, social interactions, and the understandings children demonstrate in their play. </p>
<p>The more complex the play, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0b013e31821e995c">more it impacts development</a>. Even a small dose of quality <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395761.013.0011">play improves children’s performance on subsequent cognitive development tasks</a>. </p>
<h2>Complex play, skills and benefits</h2>
<p>The skills acquired in play — including overcoming impulses, behaviour control, exploration and discovery, problem-solving, social interaction, and attention to process and outcomes — are foundational <a href="http://www.tojet.net/articles/v18i4/1841.pdf">cognitive structures that also drive learning</a>.</p>
<p>Children’s play themes generally follow the <a href="https://www.exchangepress.com/catalog/product/bridging-research-and-practice-seven-loose-parts-myths-busted/5025634/">ideas inherent in the materials and toys available</a>. </p>
<p>However, as noted, materials and toys used for children’s play <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190319182447id_/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82151298.pdf">have changed significantly over the years</a>, reflecting societal changes, technological advancements and shifts in understanding child development. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/acAv1C4LYVQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How to use stacking cups for speech and language development.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Early learning and child-care communities today widely incorporate loose parts for their perceived potential to offer high-quality play opportunities. Such opportunities allow children to use their <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-13642-018">imaginations and explore their surroundings</a> and support children’s cognitive development. </p>
<h2>Education in Canada</h2>
<p>In Canada, Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia’s education guidelines for early childhood explicitly discuss the importance of loose parts play. The Nova Scotia Curriculum, for instance, acknowledges that the use of loose parts encourages “<a href="https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/nselcurriculumframework.pdf">creativity and open-ended learning</a>.” </p>
<p>Six other provincial frameworks don’t use the words “loose parts,” but equally stress the importance of this kind of play. While many parents, educators and policy-makers recognize the benefits of involving children in play with loose parts, the basic evidence regarding children’s indoor play with loose materials is unknown. </p>
<p>There are only a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-017-9220-9">handful of empirical studies on indoor loose parts play with limited focus on its developmental benefits</a> beyond children’s physical and social development. Research has narrowly focused on children’s outdoor play with loose parts and mostly on <a href="https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v42i4.18103">physical</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12025">social development</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children seen with sand and toys." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">What is the relationship between children’s indoor play with loose parts and children’s cognitive skills?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Current research has not examined children’s indoor play with loose parts and its relationship to children’s cognitive skills. As a result, educators and policy-makers have little empirical evidence on which to base important decisions about what materials to invest in and integrate into children’s learning environments.</p>
<h2>Equitable play opportunities</h2>
<p>Children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds start kindergarten disproportionately behind their more affluent and privileged peers in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.1.116">knowledge and educational performance</a>. </p>
<p>Low-income families <a href="https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2022/01/5-2-article-the-use-of-play-materials-in-early-intervention_0.pdf">often cannot afford toys</a> for children. Could household objects (like plastic tubs or egg cartons) offer equitable play opportunities for all children, if early childhood programs and professionals supported parents with up-cycling items into play things? </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-spotlights-equity-and-access-issues-with-childrens-right-to-play-137187">Coronavirus spotlights equity and access issues with children's right to play</a>
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<p>My colleagues and I are conducting research to address gaps in our understanding of children’s loose parts play. Specifically, we examine the play types and play engagement levels of children between the ages of four and five who participate in our study. </p>
<p>We also take into account the effects of children’s cognitive development, parental income and education on how young children play with everyday objects, both when they play by themselves and with their parents. </p>
<p>We just finished collecting data in the first phase of our studies focused on children’s solitary play. Children were given opportunities to play with either a box of carefully curated loose parts like blocks, felt balls, yarn, pinecones or a toy that had only a limited function: percussion instruments.</p>
<h2>Cognitive and language development</h2>
<p>We collected data using video recordings of children’s play in two sessions (one with loose parts and the other session with the limited-purpose toy as a control), parent questionnaires and a cognitive measurement tool for benchmarking children’s cognitive and language development. </p>
<p>We are now analyzing crucial relationships between children’s play with different loose objects and children’s cognitive development, and considering key social determinants such as gender, socioeconomic status and maternal education. </p>
<p>Such knowledge will support educators and parents with an understanding of which materials are most conducive to specific types of quality play in young children’s environments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ozlem Cankaya is affiliated with Terra Centre and Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Child Care. MacEwan University funds Dr. Cankaya's loose parts play research. </span></em></p>How should we understand what toys or ‘loose part’ materials support children’s play, and what’s the relationship of parents’ education and income to this? A study aims to find out.Ozlem Cankaya, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Curriculum Studies, MacEwan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2009512023-03-27T20:27:35Z2023-03-27T20:27:35ZNewly linked data can reveal academic development from kindergarten to high school in 150,000 students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514026/original/file-20230307-28-cvuuzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C39%2C2558%2C1730&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Early play-based learning helps children develop skills and knowledge before elementary school, and provides an essential foundation for learning in later years. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you observe a kindergarten classroom, its games, songs, <a href="https://theconversation.com/kindergarten-scrapbooks-arent-just-your-childs-keepsake-theyre-central-to-learning-117066">stories and activities</a> might seem to be just for fun. </p>
<p>But play-based learning helps children develop skills and knowledge before elementary school and provides an essential foundation for learning in later years. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Resources_Topics/With_Our_Best_Future_In_Mind_-_Charles_Pascal.pdf">framework guiding Ontario’s full-day kindergarten</a> emphasizes play-based learning, which has demonstrated successful learning outcomes in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1220771">kindergarten</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-022-09312-5">beyond</a>. </p>
<p>What if we could discover <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cjbs2007001">key features of early child development</a> that correlate with strong learning pathways through high school? Educators could use that information to ensure all students, especially those who are struggling in school, are getting the supports they need, when they need them. </p>
<p><a href="https://ijpds.org/article/view/1843">Our research</a> documents how we established a valid data resource that could chart student learning over time. This research reports on the first steps of a much larger longitudinal study based at McMaster University and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. </p>
<h2>Early support matters</h2>
<p>Research tells us that the earlier we provide individualized supports to students, the more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000181">positive their effects</a>.</p>
<p>But to help achieve that goal, we need data — specifically data that tracks children’s development and learning from their early childhood through their adolescence. </p>
<p>Ontario is <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901">Canada’s most populous province</a>, yet for decades it has lacked such data. </p>
<p>Before our research started, we possessed two separate datasets that, if combined, would provide an array of crucial measures of children’s demographics, their perceptions of themselves as learners, their routines in and out of school, the languages they use at home and attributes of their neighbourhoods. </p>
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<img alt="Hands of children seen in a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514692/original/file-20230310-20-48vocx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Research is examining relationships between children’s readiness for school learning and their development across many areas and their later academic outcomes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/ Yan Krukau)</span></span>
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<h2>Data sources</h2>
<p>One dataset had been gathered using the <a href="https://edi.offordcentre.com/">Early Development Instrument (EDI)</a>. This is an assessment tool, validated by extensive research, that gauges early childhood development and readiness for school learning. In kindergarten, using the EDI, teachers assess children in five developmental domains: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development and communication skills and general knowledge.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/writing-and-reading-starts-with-childrens-hands-on-play-125182">Writing and reading starts with children's hands-on play</a>
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<p>The other dataset holds Ontario students’ literacy and numeracy achievement during primary, elementary and high school. These data were gathered through <a href="https://www.eqao.com/">Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)</a>. </p>
<p>A core challenge has been successfully linking information from two datasets — one containing only kindergarten students and another containing only elementary and high school students — when both are anonymized and lack common identifiers. </p>
<h2>Half of students linked</h2>
<p>But by adapting extensive protocols developed by data scientists to link such datasets, we used information on students’ date of birth, sex, school board, school, language program and language background (if the student was learning the language of instruction, English or French, as a new language) to successfully link approximately half of all students, and then validate that linkage. </p>
<p>The team’s most recent paper <a href="https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i1.1843">describes this protocol in detail</a>. </p>
<p>The EDI was administered in three-year cycles within Ontario in the time frame we studied, from 2004 to 2012. It was not possible to match all the cohorts completely, as some years were interrupted by job action and the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>The resulting dataset contains extensive information on over 150,000 children who started kindergarten from 2004 to 2012. Both the EDI and EQAO datasets cover all of Ontario 74 school districts, and although the process of linking necessarily resulted in a reduced dataset, the differences between linked and unlinked samples were small.</p>
<h2>Understanding where to allocate resources</h2>
<p>We will use linked data to examine which childhood indicators are associated with later success or struggles. The team is currently examining variation in high school literacy achievement that is associated with children’s language and cognitive development in kindergarten. Early results suggest these developmental skills measured in kindergarten are meaningful predictors of academic and other outcomes well into high school. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-quality-early-childhood-education-reduces-need-for-later-special-ed-112275">New research shows quality early childhood education reduces need for later special ed</a>
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<p>The research plan is to examine different patterns of literacy achievement in elementary and high school, and to explore the predictive power (if any) of kindergarten linguistic and cognitive skills. </p>
<p>Such research can support school administrators and policymakers with solid evidence to allocate resources, starting with children’s earliest years in school.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200951/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeanne Sinclair receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Magdalena Janus receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Davies receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.</span></em></p>A study following Ontario students between 2004 and 2012 can help policymakers ensure all students get the supports they need when they need them.Jeanne Sinclair, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Memorial University of NewfoundlandMagdalena Janus, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityScott Davies, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1986592023-01-29T19:10:30Z2023-01-29T19:10:30ZA message to anxious parents as 320,000 Australian children start school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506730/original/file-20230127-15-81in7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C42%2C4279%2C3128&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Erik Anderson/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around Australia, <a href="https://ministers.education.gov.au/clare/more-four-million-students-head-school-week">about 320,000 children</a> are starting school for the first time. As an early childhood researcher, former kindergarten teacher, and parent of a child beginning school on Monday, this transition fascinates me.</p>
<p>Culturally we place so much importance on this time. Everyone from the lovely cashier at the supermarket, to family, friends and neighbours have been eagerly asking my child, “are you excited about starting school?”</p>
<p>While people have good intentions, the question comes with the clear expectation that “starting big school” is a really big deal. And this puts a lot of pressure on the transition. </p>
<p>For parents, it also raises the question of how best we can prepare our children (and ourselves) for this time. The following tips may help.</p>
<h2>Learning is ongoing, not a one-off</h2>
<p>Research <a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/starting-strong-v_9789264276253-en#page21">consistently shows</a> a positive start to school is linked to long-term benefits in education and wellbeing and helps avoid issues such as <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/school-refusal/school-refusal">school avoidance and refusal</a>.</p>
<p>Parents (me included) need to recognise children’s learning as a lifelong <a href="https://www.learningtrajectories.org/lt-resources/what-are-learning-trajectories">trajectory</a>. What happens in the first weeks of school will not determine your child’s success in life. Your. child will continue to build skills over the year and over their whole school experience.</p>
<p>It is easy to compare your child with others, but often this is unhelpful. </p>
<p>There will be some children starting school who can read, some who will know letters and sounds, and others who are just beginning in this area. Schools will be aware of this (and realistically, children do not need to be fluent readers at five or six). </p>
<p>Traditional thinking has been that all children should be able to do certain things before starting school, with a focus on “school readiness”. But this has been replaced with a new focus on schools being ready for all students, regardless of their diverse skills. </p>
<h2>Communication matters</h2>
<p>Ongoing, clear communication with our children about what to expect and how to manage is important. </p>
<p>This could include reminding our children of the pickup routine, or helping them talk about how (and who) to ask for help if they need it. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-child-anxious-about-starting-school-the-approaches-we-use-for-children-with-disability-can-help-all-families-197984">Is your child anxious about starting school? The approaches we use for children with disability can help all families</a>
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<p>Communication also matters with teachers. As parents, this is one key way we can support our children. Research shows <a href="https://www.edresearch.edu.au/practice-hub/family-engagement-learning">family engagement</a> with teachers helps children learn and build confidence. </p>
<p>This means talking to the teacher about your child’s strengths and interests, but also outlining areas where they may need help. In suggesting this, launching into this discussion at drop-off on the first day might not be ideal. Instead, email the front office to set up a time or schedule an early parent-teacher meeting to talk.</p>
<h2>Worry isn’t helpful, but instincts can be powerful</h2>
<p>As parents, we have much we could worry about. Have we read enough books to our kids? Have they watched too much television? Does my child remember where the bathroom is at school? Will they behave? Should I have made them learn all the sounds of the alphabet? Will they drink enough water? The list is endless.</p>
<p>Sometimes our worries can be transmitted to our children. We need to take care to speak positively about school around our kids, to help <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-child-anxious-about-starting-school-the-approaches-we-use-for-children-with-disability-can-help-all-families-197984">to reduce anxiety</a> in our children.</p>
<p>But while worry can be unhelpful, parental instincts are important. In my time as a teacher I learned to listen to parents’ concerns, particularly around eyesight and hearing. </p>
<p>For example, if you are concerned that your child might not be seeing things as you share a book, or they don’t hear you unless looking at you, talk to your teacher. Early support is important for all areas of children’s health and development.</p>
<h2>Transitions take time</h2>
<p>Finally, transitions (especially once-in-a-lifetime ones like this) take time, so give yourself and your child time to settle in.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-to-help-ease-your-child-back-into-school-mode-after-the-holidays-129780">5 tips to help ease your child back into school mode after the holidays</a>
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<p>Your child will have good days, bad days and OK days. So don’t worry if they don’t come home from school on the first day or week absolutely loving it, or having learned obvious new skills.</p>
<p>Helping our children acknowledge the challenge and seeing their growth is helpful (“wow, you’ve done a whole week at your new school!”).</p>
<p>This is not just about academic achievement. It can be about making friends, learning how to buy their lunch at the canteen or mastering the monkey bars.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198659/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>With colleagues, Kate Highfield receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a member of Early Childhood Australia, and the Head of Discipline (Early Childhood Education) at Australian Catholic University. </span></em></p>There is a lot of pressure on the transition to ‘big school’. For parents, this raises the question of how best we can prepare our kids and ourselves for this time.Kate Highfield, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Head of School (ACT and regional NSW), Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1890602022-10-20T20:27:34Z2022-10-20T20:27:34ZWhat to look for in a high-quality ‘pre-primary’ or junior kindergarten program<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/487427/original/file-20220929-24-qbh9t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C29%2C4927%2C2460&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Locating early learning programs in schools provides stable programming infrastructure and allows for potential collaborations between early childhood educators and teachers.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This fall, many young children across Canada have entered early learning or preschool programs for the first time. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21699763.2018.1526700">Access to early learning</a> is a challenge across the country — and many parents scramble to find a space for their children. </p>
<p>But there are some programs that are readily available and accessible to all children in their catchment areas. In Nova Scotia, an <a href="https://theconversation.com/nova-scotias-new-pre-primary-class-gives-kids-a-head-start-through-play-based-learning-115444">investment in universal early childhood education is happening</a> through the “pre-primary program,” housed in primary schools. This is similar to what is currently offered as play-based junior kindergarten in schools in both <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/kindergarten/">Ontario</a> and <a href="https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/junior-kindergartenkindergarten">the Northwest Territories</a>.</p>
<p>As many parents or caregivers drop their young children off at a “big school” they may wonder: What should I be looking for in this program? What makes it a high-quality program? Our team took a closer look at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01372-9">what constitutes high quality in these publicly funded, school-based settings</a>.</p>
<h2>Differences in early learning programs</h2>
<p>There are many similarities between regulated early learning and child-care settings and early learning programs offered in schools. Both are expected to follow a play-based curriculum, and both have qualified early childhood educators working with these children in the year or years before they begin more formal school grades. However, there are differences as well.</p>
<p>What defines quality in this specific setting is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X06291524">not a straightforward process</a>, given its unique characteristics. For this reason, we need to <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/structural-characteristics-and-process-quality-in-early-childhood-education-and-care_edaf3793-en">consider broader system factors</a>, in addition to structural characteristics (like child-staff ratios, group size, training) and process considerations, including people’s interactions, routines and activities. </p>
<p>Through a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616">systematic process</a>, we examined existing literature about quality in early childhood school-based programs. This included consultation with international experts and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01372-9">searching</a> literature databases. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children seen playing at a desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/487428/original/file-20220929-14-xzfelu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Offering ongoing assessment and evaluation of children’s learning is one aspect of offering quality programming.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>We found 6,335 possible sources, and a rigourous screening process helped to identify the most relevant studies. Our final review focused on 41 sources, which informed an expanded image of what high-quality means in school-based early childhood programs like pre-primary and kindergarten. We propose that identifying high-quality should include considering internal and external influences on quality programming, and that it’s important to examine themes of policies, practice, place and people.</p>
<h2>Policies</h2>
<p>Policies that govern publicly funded, school-based early learning programs are foundationally important. Sustainable funding, adhering to regulations, government investment and ongoing assessment and evaluation of children’s learning are <a href="https://childcarecanada.org/publications/quality-design/06/01/quality-design-what-do-we-know-about-quality-early-learning-and-ch">key to providing quality programming</a>. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kindergarten-scrapbooks-arent-just-your-childs-keepsake-theyre-central-to-learning-117066">Kindergarten scrapbooks aren't just your child's keepsake — they're central to learning</a>
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<p>Ongoing, planned and well-resourced assessment and evaluation of such programs could also contribute to supporting high-quality practice by determining if programs are reaching goals and effectively using their funding. </p>
<h2>Practices</h2>
<p>Practices that support high-quality programs include following a teaching and learning approach that is responsive to children’s ways of learning — for example, using a play-based approach that supports exploration and self-expression.</p>
<p><a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573102.pdf">Other practices that early childhood experts identify</a> as indicating high quality include low adult-to-child ratios and small class sizes depending on the individual support needs of children within the classroom.</p>
<p>In addition to group size, warm, responsive and positive relationships between educators and children are <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5315&context=sspapers">critical to supporting adults and children’s joint attention and sustained shared thinking</a>.</p>
<p>Research also identifies that the extent to which programs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2006.07.005">support and promote inclusion and diversity</a> is related to program quality. </p>
<p>“Inclusion” refers to the acknowledgement and celebration of diverse abilities, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and family structures. It also means policy support designed to mitigate adversity arising from low socio-economic family circumstances by offering affordable spaces, lunch programs and other services to assist families with young children. As well, it refers to any additional or specialized service supports that are provided to children and families.</p>
<h2>Place</h2>
<p>The location and the time spent in the learning environment, as well as the structure of the learning environment itself, are all considered important components of quality. Schools provide stable infrastructure for programming and allow for potential collaborations between early childhood educators and teachers.</p>
<p>The time spent in the program, or “dosage,” is an important component of quality as well. <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5315&context=sspapers">The more time spent in a quality early learning program</a> in the year prior to mainstream elementary school, the more likely there will be positive outcomes for children.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An educator seen at a desk with students." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489628/original/file-20221013-13-9kim2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Whether or not staff have studied early childhood education matters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>People</h2>
<p>The people who work in pre-primary or junior kindergarten programs in schools greatly influence the quality of the program being offered. </p>
<p>Educators’ level of post-secondary education <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(03)00008-5">specific to early childhood education</a> is a major indicator of positive developmental outcomes for children. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2017.1">More formal qualifications</a> and <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED480815">ongoing professional development</a> are often related to better-quality programming.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-covid-19-child-care-plan-must-start-with-investing-in-early-childhood-educators-157553">Canada's COVID-19 child-care plan must start with investing in early childhood educators</a>
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<p>Given the placement of these programs in <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ964856">schools, support from administrators, principals and teaching assistants</a> also influence the quality of programming, along with the <a href="http://www.apls.org/pdf/early_learning_full.pdf">involvement of families and communities</a>. </p>
<p>Educators become more aware of families’ perspectives of quality as parents, families and community members are welcomed to participate in an early learning setting at a level that is possible for them in terms of their resources and availability. Educators gain knowledge of the cultural and social contexts of the children in their program.</p>
<p>As another school year unfolds, the first for many young children entering school-based early learning programs, our review provides insight into some considerations for implementing these programs to ensure they are offered in a high-quality manner to support children and families.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine McLean has received funding from the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessie-Lee McIsaac has received project funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, and the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Her research program is undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs program. McIsaac is also a board member of a non-profit child care centre in Nova Scotia.</span></em></p>People, policies, practice and place all matter in publicly funded, school-based children’s early learning programs.Christine McLean, Assistant Professor, Child and Youth Studies, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityJessie-Lee McIsaac, Assistant Professor, Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood: Diversity and Transitions, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1890332022-09-01T14:21:06Z2022-09-01T14:21:06ZKindergarten transitions can be eased by supporting kids’ social and emotional needs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481643/original/file-20220829-8371-phq2k6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C58%2C5215%2C3123&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">For many parents, caregivers and children, the entry into kindergarten is a watershed transition. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/kindergarten-transitions-can-be-eased-by-supporting-kids--social-and-emotional-needs" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With the new school year here, parents and caregivers of young children may be experiencing <a href="https://www.verywellfamily.com/tips-to-ease-back-to-school-anxiety-620832">heightened emotions and anxieties</a> about starting kindergarten. </p>
<p>Under typical circumstances, the transition to kindergarten evokes a <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/26/starting-school-first-day-of-school-is-the-most-emotional-milestone-for-parents_n_7323376.html">multitude of emotions</a> for parents and caregivers. Amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns, transitioning into a new school year may prompt a unique set of emotions and anxieties for both parents and children. </p>
<p>Whether or not children entering kindergarten have experienced <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.1966389">learning interruptions due to closures</a> — for example, through interruptions to <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-income-families-should-not-lose-child-care-subsidies-while-on-parental-leave-180659">stable early learning and child care</a> settings — children’s <a href="https://scanfamilies.org/resource/social-development-in-children/">early social development</a> continues to be at the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/2020004/s8-eng.htm">forefront of many parents’ concerns</a>. </p>
<p>Considering the unparalleled experiences of the pandemic, and in acknowledgement of any <a href="https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-with-special-needs-go-back-to-school/">anxieties about the upcoming school year</a>, the list below contains some evidence-based tips on how parents or caregivers can attend to the <a href="https://www.heartofconnecting.com/parenting-articles/a-child-s-list-of-social-and-emotional-needs">social and emotional needs</a> of young children as they transition into kindergarten programs. </p>
<h2>1. Give yourself credit for positive family interactions</h2>
<p>Although the pandemic decreased opportunities for social interactions, positive family interactions still contribute heavily to children’s early social development. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12488">Recent research</a> suggests the presence of nurturing parents and caregivers is enough to mitigate the pandemic’s negative effects on infants’ social development.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother and son hug side-to-side." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481653/original/file-20220829-20-u7gjz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Positive family interactions contribute heavily to children’s early social development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>The establishment of a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F23779608211009000">secure attachment</a> to a primary caregiver in the first few years of life facilitates a child’s drive to explore and experiment and is related to their later socio-emotional and physical health outcomes. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/infancy-and-early-childhood-matter-so-much-because-of-attachment-117733">Infancy and early childhood matter so much because of attachment</a>
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<p>In the kindergarten classroom, this secure attachment encourages children to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3345%2Fkjp.2012.55.12.449">confidently seek out new experiences and form positive relationships with others</a>. Parents or caregivers can rest assured that your efforts to promote positive early family interactions indeed make a difference. </p>
<h2>2. Nurture social skills</h2>
<p>Social skills, such as sharing and listening, are the tools we use to communicate and interact with others in order to develop positive relationships. Social skill competence in kindergarten has been linked to key <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630">young adult outcomes</a> in education, employment and mental health. </p>
<p>Concerns over missed socialization opportunities caused by pandemic-related restrictions have been a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jped.2020.08.008">key focus of early childhood research</a>. Reinforcing the <a href="https://parentingscience.com/social-skills-activities/">social skills</a> that children have opportunities to develop through <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/kindergarten/parents-guide-play-based-learn-en.pdf">play-based learning</a> in the classroom may assist your child with the initiation of such skills in different contexts. </p>
<p>In addition to supporting opportunities for hands-on play with other children, social skills can be nurtured by making time for conversations with children that facilitate learning about various social interactions, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-parents-can-be-emotion-coaches-as-kids-navigate-back-to-school-during-covid-19-166148">through coaching children through social situations</a> and explicit instruction. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/vitalsigns/during-pandemic-a-nurturing-home-goes-far-to-promote-normal-development">Modelling positive interactions</a> of listening and sharing and reinforcing these and other <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/kindergarten#section-4">important skills</a> also matters.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children seen sitting on the floor playing with blocks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481644/original/file-20220829-8758-1xd45n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children have opportunities to develop through play-based learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>3. Help your child learn to identify their feelings</h2>
<p>Social skills are interdependent with emotional skills. <a href="https://edi.offordcentre.com/can-early-social-emotional-functioning-predict-later-mental-health-issues/">Social-emotional learning</a> skills, taught in different ways like educators’ support for a child’s self-regulation in the classroom, are critical to children’s mental health, academic and social development.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/6-ways-to-teach-kindergarten-kids-to-deal-with-stress-during-covid-19-whether-learning-online-or-at-school-154807">6 ways to teach kindergarten kids to deal with stress during COVID-19, whether learning online or at school</a>
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</p>
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<p>These critical skills can be <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/other/dbasse/wellbeing-tools/interactive/">nurtured at home</a> by encouraging conversations about <a href="https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-teach-kids-about-feelings-1095012">your child’s emotions</a>, helping your child <a href="https://nhsa.org/resource/five-ways-parents-can-support-childrens-social-emotional-development/">label</a> how they are feeling, and modelling various <a href="https://www.bigheartworld.org/calm-down-with-move-this-world/">positive coping mechanisms to alleviate stress</a> and anxiety, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMb2Bw4Ae8">breathing techniques</a> and/or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLoK5rOl8Qk">mindfulness</a>. Parents can also turn to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/fifteen-librarian-recommended-books-for-kids-dealing-with-anxiety">children’s literature</a> to help their child identify and manage their feelings. </p>
<h2>4. Acknowledge your own emotions and model positivity</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.family.cmho.org/back-to-school-tips-for-parents/">Acknowledging your emotions</a> about your child’s transition to kindergarten may alleviate stress and anxiety by decreasing the cognitive and emotional burden of denying such emotions. Since children are particularly <a href="https://childmind.org/article/how-to-avoid-passing-anxiety-on-to-your-kids/">attuned to the stress and anxieties of their immediate caregivers</a>, managing your own stress and anxiety is an effective contributor to keeping your child’s anxieties at bay. Discussing the positive aspects of kindergarten may also help your child look forward to the many exciting moments they will experience this school year. </p>
<h2>5. Establish school-year routines</h2>
<p>Establishing an <a href="https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/sleep/schedule/how-to-have-happier-bedtimes-and-better-sleep/">age-appropriate bedtime routine</a> and schedule can help children throughout the school year by facilitating predictable and clear expectations. Using a <a href="https://www.surreyplace.ca/resources/how-to-use-a-visual-schedule-to-support-routines/#:%7E:text=Visual%20schedules%20allow%20your%20child,expectations%20will%20be%20made%20clear.">visual schedule</a> to support routines for kindergarten-aged children can <a href="https://ed-psych.utah.edu/school-psych/_resources/documents/grants/autism-training-grant/Visual-Schedules-Practical-Guide-for-Families.pdf">foster independence, increase flexibility and support literacy development</a>. Establishing a daily routine also provides children with a sense of <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Soothing-Your-Childs-Separation-Anxiety.aspx">security, stability and decreases separation anxiety</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young students seen sitting at a table." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481650/original/file-20220829-8742-c9xkqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Establishing daily school-year routines in the home can help children venture into classroom experiences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>6. Know that positive family-educator partnerships are essential</h2>
<p>Positive <a href="https://earlylearningnetwork.unl.edu/2018/08/29/parent-teacher-relationships">family-educator partnerships</a> are critical for children’s <a href="https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/The_Impact_of_Family_Imvolvement_ES.pdf">social, emotional and academic success</a>
and for maintaining equitable family engagement. It is educators’ / schools’ responsibility to <a href="https://oese.ed.gov/files/2020/10/equitable_family_engag_508.pdf">honour custodial parent or caregiver efforts to communicate concerns</a>, and schools should be bolstering engagement with school communities in culturally sensitive ways. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-i-could-change-one-thing-in-education-community-school-partnerships-would-be-top-priority-188189">If I could change one thing in education: Community-school partnerships would be top priority</a>
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<hr>
<p>Parents and caregivers must be included by educators and schools as equal advocates for their child’s education. This is particularly critical for racialized parents and caregivers whose voices have been historically marginalized by the education system. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A father hugs a boy." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481654/original/file-20220829-27-36667.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If parents or caregivers notice an increase in their child’s anxiety, this should be brought to the educators’ attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/colour-of-wellbeing/">Reciprocity</a> in communication builds community and belonging and sees parents or kin with custodial responsibilities as <a href="https://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/listen-parents-education-advocates/">equal advocates</a> in the education process. Additionally, if parents or caregivers <a href="https://smho-smso.ca/parents-and-caregivers/noticing-mental-health-concerns-for-your-child/">notice</a> an increase in their child’s level of anxiety, this should be brought to the educator’s attention so that they can discuss <a href="https://smho-smso.ca/">school-based and/or community-based resources</a> and <a href="https://smho-smso.ca/parents-and-caregivers/suppports-available-through-schools/">support options</a> available.</p>
<p>Parents and caregivers are <a href="https://www.ldatschool.ca/effective-parent-teacher-partnerships/#:%7E:text=Ontario's%20parent%20engagement%20policy%20recognizes,at%20home%20and%20at%20school.">vital partners</a> in education, and together, families and educators can ease back-to-school jitters and help make this an exciting and positive transition for children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189033/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberly Hillier receives funding from WE-SPARK Health Institute. </span></em></p>Parents and caregivers are vital partners in education, and together, educators and families can ease back-to-school jitters and help make this an exciting and positive transition for children.Kimberly Hillier, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of WindsorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1884192022-08-15T18:33:32Z2022-08-15T18:33:32ZWhy doesn’t Canada let schools provide child care?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478371/original/file-20220809-20-cu99bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C35%2C6000%2C3287&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada is preventing provinces and territories from using federal child-care dollars to transform schools into one-stop centres for young children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Yan Krukov)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-doesn-t-canada-let-schools-provide-child-care" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Canada’s policy-makers could take lessons from other countries who have streamlined early learning and child care within their schools. </p>
<p>Instead, they are putting up roadblocks, preventing provinces and territories from using federal child-care dollars to transform schools into one-stop centres for young children. </p>
<p>It’s a timely issue as parents countdown to the first day of classes, while scheduling down-to-the-minute drop-offs and pickups between child care and school, and scrutinizing child-care wait lists, hoping to net one of <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/04/budget-2021-a-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-plan.html">the coveted low-cost spaces</a>. This all adds up to unnecessary stress for families that could easily be avoided.</p>
<h2>Early childhood education models</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.andalucia.org/en/medina-sidonia">Medina Sidonia</a>, the small Spanish town where I am spending the summer, festivities are gearing up for school’s return. </p>
<p>Children, organized into their new class groups, parade through the streets into the main square to pick up their back-to-school kits. In the lead are achingly adorable toddlers about to enter their first year of <em>escuela infantil</em>. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A town square." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478325/original/file-20220809-12-x5kab1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Medina Sidonia, Spain, the prelude to school for little children includes a parade through the streets.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Michael Gaylard/Flickr)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>School in Spain officially starts at age six, but it’s normal for much younger children to participate. </p>
<p>Federal legislation, passed in 2006, established preschool as a publicly-funded extension of education, delivered without fees for families. Over <a href="https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=ESP&treshold=10&topic=EO">97 per cent of children between the ages of three and five attend</a>, with efforts underway to <a href="https://www.unicef.org/eca/media/18841/file/Spanish%20Deep%20dive%20Policy%20Brief%20EN.pdf">incorporate two-year-olds</a>. </p>
<p>The school day for all ages begins at 8:30 in the morning, ends at 4:30 and includes that delightful Spanish tradition, the two-hour lunch. Children may stay and eat with their peers or join the family meal at home. For parents who need additional hours to accommodate their work, child care is provided on site. </p>
<p>Spain isn’t an anomaly: <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=54761">Education departments in 18 OECD countries deliver free preschool for children</a> starting at three years old. Belgium starts kids earlier at <a href="https://www.thevillage.be/parenting/school/free-state-education/#pre-school">two-and-a-half</a>. In most countries attendance is optional, but in 2019 the French government made <a href="https://www.frenchentree.com/living-in-france/education/french-primary-school-system/"><em>école maternelle</em> compulsory</a> for children turning three, even though 97 percent of preschoolers already participated.</p>
<p>Free preschool guarantees an early learning experience for all children while accommodating the needs of working families with additional hours. </p>
<p>While European youngsters and their families anticipate schools’ opening, in my home province of Ontario the government siphoned almost <a href="https://pressprogress.ca/doug-ford-quietly-reduced-education-spending-by-nearly-a-billion-dollars-last-year/">$1 billion out of the education budget</a>, while <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/most-toronto-childcare-centres-have-not-yet-signed-on-to-10-a-day-care-here-s-why-1.5980606">municipalities struggle</a> to get operators to sign up for $10-a-day child care. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-covid-19-child-care-plan-must-start-with-investing-in-early-childhood-educators-157553">Canada's COVID-19 child-care plan must start with investing in early childhood educators</a>
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<h2>Uneven Canadian approaches</h2>
<p>Ottawa’s $30-billion effort to create a Canada-wide early learning and child-care system is centred on <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2022/04/supporting-early-learning-and-child-care.html">affordable parent fees and creating 275,000 new spaces</a>. </p>
<p>Forging a coherent social program out of a disjointed mix of commercial, charitable, religious and nonprofit providers operating under <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories.html">13 different provincial and territorial agreements</a> is no small task, made more complex by rules that exclude schools from receiving federal child-care dollars.</p>
<p>Education ministries recognizing the value of early learning to <a href="https://earlyyearsstudy.ca">later school success</a> have extended their mandates to include younger children. Alternately called <a href="http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/PFEQ/Prescolaire_4ans_en.pdf">preschool education</a>, <a href="https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/education-and-learning/prek-12-education-early-learning-and-schools/prekindergarten">prekindergarten</a>, <a href="https://www.ednet.ns.ca/pre-primary/faq-general-info">pre-primary</a>, <a href="https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/kindergarten">junior kindergarten</a>, <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/early-childhood-education.aspx">early childhood services</a> or <a href="https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022EDUC0005-000227">Just B4</a> depending on their location, schools in six provinces and two territories offer preschool to at least some four-year-olds. Saskatchewan and Alberta <a href="https://ecereport.ca/en/resources/charts-graphs/overview/percent-of-children-attending/">include three-year-olds</a> who are <a href="https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/education-and-learning/prek-12-education-early-learning-and-schools/prekindergarten">at risk of learning delays</a>.</p>
<p>Newfoundland was about to join until told federal child-care dollars could not be used in schools. Its plan to offer full-day junior kindergarten to all four-year-olds <a href="https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2022/education/0621n01/">was replaced by a contract with a child care provider</a> to deliver 30 classes. </p>
<p>Nearby <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/nova-scotia-canada-wide-2021.html">Nova Scotia scaled back its plans to have three-year-olds</a> join its pre-primary program.</p>
<h2>Children with special needs affected</h2>
<p>In Ontario, where full-day kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds and on-site child care have been the norm for almost a decade, child care operated by schools <a href="https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2022/04/26/fees-for-extended-child-care-at-waterloo-region-public-district-school-board-schools-jump-545-per-cent.html">does not qualify for federal funding to reduce parent fees</a>. It’s a decision that hits more than the budgets of affected families. </p>
<p>Unlike child care, school-delivered programs must accommodate children with special needs, and schools are among the few employers to offer <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/About_Us/What_We_Do/Schools_at_the_Centre_Study/index.html">early childhood educators decent wages and working conditions</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/child-care-after-the-coronavirus-pandemic-should-be-more-inclusive-of-children-with-disabilities-141172">Child care after the coronavirus pandemic should be more inclusive of children with disabilities</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Educators are seen sitting with children in a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478374/original/file-20220809-15110-u9tdgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Schools offer early childhood educators decent wages and working conditions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Yan Krukov)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Québec lessons</h2>
<p>Québec’s early learning expansion plans are unconstrained by the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/quebec-canada-wide-2021.html#h2.16">$6-billion share it received from Ottawa’s child care fund</a>. <a href="https://ecereport.ca/media/uploads/2021-profiles-en/quebec_profile_en_2020.pdf">The province’s Education Act was amended in 2019</a>, entitling all four-year-old children to <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/kindergarten">preschool education</a>. Schools will have a place for every eligible child by 2023, and provide <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/kindergarten">subsidized before- and after-school child care hours</a> for those who need it.</p>
<p>Québec’s 20 plus years’ experience developing low-cost care has taught some lessons: a central learning is schools serve all kids. Child care only reaches some. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-daycare-problems-1.6096763">Long wait lists for care</a> still confront Québec parents. Even if all the targets in the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories.html">child-care agreements</a> are realized by the end of their five-year terms, only 59 per cent of kids under six will have access. </p>
<p>Experience tells us the children left out will likely be those who could benefit most, youngsters <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021008/article/00002-eng.htm">from low-income, racialized and new Canadian families</a>.</p>
<h2>Change federal policy</h2>
<p>Child care delivered by schools has many advantages. Schools are publicly owned, eliminating the need for costly land and facility acquisition. Operating and oversight mechanisms are already in place. </p>
<p>Consolidating learning and care for children of all ages in one neighbourhood location reduces its carbon footprint. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-child-care-investment-needs-to-advance-climate-change-policy-goals-185104">Canada's child-care investment needs to advance climate change policy goals</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Parents are spared the hassle of multiple trips between school and child care. Additionally, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01372-9">research finds publicly funded early childhood programs</a> delivered by schools score high in quality.</p>
<p>Yet federal policy prevents scaling up these settings. It’s a bad rule that needs changing before we see more daycare centres springing up in strip malls and storefronts, rather than excited youngsters stepping over school thresholds onto their best futures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188419/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerry McCuaig receives funding from the Government of Canada, the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, the Lawson Foundation, the Atkinson Foundation, the Early Childhood Educators Human Resource Council, Newfoundland. </span></em></p>Canada has much to learn from other countries about better ways of providing learning and care for children.Kerry McCuaig, Fellow in Early Childhood Policy, Atkinson Centre, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1839482022-07-13T15:01:49Z2022-07-13T15:01:49ZFrom full-day learning to 30 minutes daily: The effects of school closures on kindergarteners<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472826/original/file-20220706-11561-dgrlr7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C192%2C4950%2C2541&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ongoing monitoring of students in early grades will be important to identify how missing out on in-person classes has affected students. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/from-full-day-learning-to-30-minutes-daily--the-effects-of-school-closures-on-kindergarteners" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0195-4_147">early years of children’s development</a> are crucial for developing social, emotional and communication skills. Given the significance of these years, it is vital we continue to unpack what happened for young children at different points of the pandemic.</p>
<p>People invested in children’s development and education, from researchers to educators <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/tdsb-chair-concerned-about-extraordinary-developmental-needs-of-incoming-kindergarteners-due-to-covid-isolation-1.5833360">to school board representatives</a>, have expressed concerns about the impact of the pandemic on kindergarten students. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-school-closures-could-widen-inequities-for-our-youngest-students-136669">Coronavirus school closures could widen inequities for our youngest students</a>
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<p>School closures meant kindergarteners were not able to interact directly with their peers and teachers, or practise self-regulation in a classroom. Understanding the effects of pandemic-related school shutdowns on kindergarten students is important for planning how to address its impact. </p>
<h2>Ontario study</h2>
<p>In Ontario, kindergarten is a two-year program (junior and senior) with children beginning to attend in September of the year they turn four. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten.html">mandated full-day kindergarten curriculum</a> focuses on play-based learning and includes hands-on activities, group work and social interaction.</p>
<p>Considering the nature of kindergarten in Ontario, teaching and learning online from March to June 2020 posed challenges for educators, students and families. </p>
<p><a href="https://edi.offordcentre.com/">Our team at the Offord Centre for Child Studies</a> at McMaster University conducted a study entitled, <a href="https://edi.offordcentre.com/about/current-research-projects/"><em>Hidden Future Front Line: Educators’ Perspective on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Kindergarten Children from May to July 2020</em></a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-ontarios-covid-19-school-closures-a-responsive-recovery-plan-is-critical-177514">After Ontario's COVID-19 school closures, a responsive recovery plan is critical</a>
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<p>A total of 2,569 kindergarten educators (<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-team-approach-makes-full-day-kindergarten-a-success-113339">early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers</a>) representing almost all the school districts in Ontario shared their thoughts about teaching during the first set of pandemic-related school closures in spring 2020. </p>
<h2>Barriers to online learning</h2>
<p>Our descriptive study paints a clear picture of the learning and interactions during that time. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01304-z">highlights many unique challenges and concerns faced by educators of the youngest learners</a>.</p>
<p>First, educators reported significant barriers to online learning in nine specific areas during this time. These included technological barriers such as lack of access to electronic devices, poor internet quality, privacy concerns and student challenges communicating in English.</p>
<p>Eighty per cent of educators also discussed barriers around implementing curricula online. They discussed the young age of their pupils and basic incompatibility of online learning for children this age, particularly given the play-based nature of kindergarten.</p>
<p>As one educator shared with us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“This is the complete opposite of what the full-day, play-based learning is all about. Children need to manipulate with concrete objects, plan and investigate during play, interact with their peers and not swipe across a screen.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Educators noted kindergarten-age children could not independently log on to their online classes or complete class activities without the support of an adult or older child. </p>
<p>Almost 90 per cent of educators noted that a lack of involvement from parents or guardians was a concern: many stated that parents often did not report on how children were doing or did not turn in assignments for them, making it difficult for educators to know their students’ well-being.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-moms-are-not-alright-how-coronavirus-pandemic-policies-penalize-mothers-144713">The moms are not alright: How coronavirus pandemic policies penalize mothers</a>
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<p>Educators struggled to teach the kindergarten curriculum, and as a result voiced concerns about what implications this may have for these children’s future learning. </p>
<h2>Return to classrooms</h2>
<p>We asked educators to share with us their concerns regarding the return to the classroom setting. Of the educators surveyed, 90 per cent said they had concerns about returning to the classroom in September 2020. </p>
<p>Educators expressed concerns about the ability of young students to follow any potential protocols, and if it was even realistic to expect five-year-olds to be able to socially distance. Developmentally, kindergarten students often need assistance with tasks such as opening a juice box, zipping up their coat or going to the bathroom. Many teachers wondered how they could assist their pupils while keeping a distance.</p>
<h2>Expected impact in later grades</h2>
<p>Taken together, our findings indicate kindergarten educators faced challenges during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic that were unique because of the young age of their pupils. </p>
<p>As a result, we expect the lack of a fully interactive environment in kindergarten may impact some children’s learning in later grades. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000003052">emerging evidence</a> that school closures should be a measure of last resort in fighting a pandemic.</p>
<h2>Continued supports necessary</h2>
<p>Our study results also highlighted the need for continued supports for the youngest learners and the necessity to monitor the development of students in kindergarten during the pandemic, as well as after. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/learning-curve-assessment-1.6492272">Along with others</a>, we recommend that these potential struggles in learning and self-regulation be considered by educators, principals, schools, school districts and ministries of education in adjusting curricula in the coming years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183948/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Magdalena Janus received funding from CIHR and is a member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalie Spadafora does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The lack of a fully interactive environment in kindergarten due to pandemic school closures may negatively impact some children’s learning in later grades.Natalie Spadafora, Post-doctoral fellow, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster UniversityMagdalena Janus, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1846122022-07-05T12:13:17Z2022-07-05T12:13:17ZWhy do kids have to go to school?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471234/original/file-20220627-12-wphbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2700%2C1665&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The core of education is to enable young learners to be kind, giving members of society.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dbrewsterstartribune-com-wednesday_09-03-08_shakopee-a-news-photo/1155667206?adppopup=true">David Brewster/Star Tribune via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
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<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why do us kids have to go to school? – Vanessa C., age 10, Gilbert, Arizona</strong></p>
</blockquote>
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<p>Kids go to school for many reasons. Where and when depends on their age, location, parental preference and local policies. Parents send their kids to school to expose them to experiences that are different from their own at home and in their communities. Schools are designed to provide spaces for exploration, self-awareness and connection with other kids. Teachers encourage kids to strengthen the skills they have and help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.09.002">them gain new ones</a> as they advance from grade to grade.</p>
<p>I have spent the last 20 years <a href="https://www.umassglobal.edu/about-umassglobal/our-people/hawani-negussie">studying and working with children</a> from birth to 21 years of age in a variety of settings. I often think about how to create the best learning environment for children, beginning with preschool. To me, that means ensuring that all children have the opportunity to be in a school that can fulfill their learning needs as well as their physical, social and emotional well-being at all stages of their lives.</p>
<h2>Preschool</h2>
<p>Around <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=516">61% of 3-to-5-year-olds</a> in the U.S. are enrolled in some type of preschool. Because these are <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-ages-2-7-matter-so-much-brain-development">critical years for brain development</a>, attending a <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/building-blocks-high-quality-early-childhood-education-programs">high-quality learning program</a> is essential. </p>
<p>What makes a good program for young children? Since children learn through play, it’s important for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.03.005">play to be the focus of most activities</a>. It’s also essential for teachers to interact with their young students and <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/responsiveteaching.asp">respond to each child’s needs</a>. </p>
<p>During this important developmental stage, children also form a <a href="https://illinoisearlylearning.org/ielg/self-concept/">sense of self</a>. For example, they might start to think of themselves as a big brother or sister if there’s another child at home. They also begin to connect more deeply with others, learn to communicate their feelings, <a href="https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2018/promoting-social-and-emotional-health">practice sharing</a> and more. When schools include children’s identity, cultural norms and traditions in the classroom, students feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. This helps children form associations that are important for learning.</p>
<h2>Elementary school</h2>
<p>Children entering kindergarten at age 5 or 6 can have many different feelings, including nervousness and excitement <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.11.009">for this new experience</a>. Perhaps kids have heard adults say that starting kindergarten is the start of “real learning.” But this isn’t the case; <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/early-brain-development.html">kids learn from the day they are born</a>.</p>
<p>With the transition to kindergarten, kids begin to work on personal and social skills, like managing their behaviors and reactions, problem-solving and logical thinking. Kids’ early experiences expand their ideas of how the world works. And as they mature they become better able to <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/preoperational.html">understand more complex thought processes</a>, like reversibility, or water turning to ice and then back to water. Another concept they may start to explore is how matter takes the shape of the space it occupies, like sand filling a star-shaped container, and why that happens.</p>
<p>As students advance through elementary school, their reading and comprehension skills improve and they are able to use different resources – from reading books and watching documentaries to taking trips to the museum – to help them understand ideas they encounter inside and outside of the classroom. The education students receive in school further builds on these experiences.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three middle school students work on an assignment" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472099/original/file-20220701-5543-lw7mpm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Middle school students begin to apply their skills and take on more schoolwork and school-related responsibilities, both inside and outside the classroom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/female-students-studying-from-book-while-sitting-by-royalty-free-image/1214950752">Maskot/Maskot via GettyImages</a></span>
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<h2>Middle school</h2>
<p>During the middle school years, when students are typically between 10 and 13 years old, kids and parents are both starting to interact with school in different ways. Teachers increasingly give more responsibilities to students, and they try their best to personalize what happens in the classroom to students’ talents and strengths. </p>
<p>As students become increasingly independent, parents often pass on more school-related responsibilities to them. Students feel capable and competent when <a href="https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/5-ways-teachers-can-bring-out-the-best-in-middle-school-students">their environment supports who they are</a> and encourages them to apply their existing skills at all levels, but especially in middle school.</p>
<p>Understanding all of the challenges kids are going through – like fitting in, maintaining friendships, puberty and others – can be overwhelming. But middle school also offers opportunities for students to sharpen their skills and talents. Some schools may offer band, theater or robotics and other new opportunities to learn, play and grow alongside their daily studies. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A student in a green sweatshirt raises her hand in a classroom full of students" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472098/original/file-20220701-22-uy08n5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">High school helps students understand more about their own interests and passions while they continue learning how to critically think and communicate with others.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/high-school-student-raising-her-hand-in-class-royalty-free-image/1351983515">Willie B. Thomas/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>High school</h2>
<p>High school is an exciting time for most students because it’s the final gateway to adulthood. Students may take on a heavier academic and extracurricular load as a way to <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/11">prepare for higher education</a>. In high school, students are able to choose from a range of courses that may include journalism, biology, an advanced foreign language class or world history. At the same time, students may begin taking part in specialized activities like volunteering or trips abroad that could expose them to fields they’d like to study if they choose to continue to college. </p>
<p>The core principle of education is to enable students to become <a href="https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/educating-hearts-and-minds-with-arthur">kind, giving and contributing members</a> of their community and the world. While not all students have the opportunity to attend great schools because of unequal circumstances, it is critical all children are afforded education, at home or at school, public or private. Schools are a tried-and-true place where kids gain new skills and knowledge that they continue to use and build on for the rest of their lives.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hawani Negussie is affiliated with Early Childhood Education Ethiopia. </span></em></p>The core principle of education is to enable students to become kind, giving and contributing members of their community and the world.Hawani Negussie, Chair and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, UMass Global, University of MassachusettsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1847272022-06-24T11:54:10Z2022-06-24T11:54:10Z5 tips for parents of new kindergartners who are younger than their classmates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469557/original/file-20220617-11-2gkr6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C26%2C5982%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In kindergarten, it can be apparent to teachers and parents alike that some students are younger than others.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakMasksinSchools/8b95eff745a24d0293f0a88edb4120f1/photo">AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A good kindergarten experience sets kids up for success in school and into adulthood. Students in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr041">smaller kindergarten classes</a> are more likely to go to college than students from larger classes. And by age 27, students who had more experienced kindergarten teachers were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr041">earning more money than their peers</a> who had less-experienced teachers in kindergarten.</p>
<p>One factor many parents consider is their child’s age when starting kindergarten, based on how close their age is to the cutoff date for enrollment. The ages at which kids are eligible to start kindergarten differ <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp">across the United States</a> and <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/se.prm.ages?view=map">in other countries</a>. Most commonly in the U.S., a child who <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp">turns 5 on or before Sept. 1</a> of a given year can start kindergarten that year. But most states don’t actually require a child to start school until later, <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp">even age 7 or 8</a>.</p>
<p>Evidence shows that children who are relatively young for their kindergarten class – those who are only a few weeks or months older than the cutoff rules require – are at increased risk for <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18178966">doing worse in school</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22135">being held back a grade</a>, and having <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1717368">lower social-emotional skills</a>. </p>
<p>Students who start kindergarten younger are also more likely to be rated by teachers as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2010.06.003">exhibiting symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder</a> in kindergarten and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1229-6">to be treated with medication for ADHD</a>. </p>
<p>When younger kids fare worse than older kids in the same, single-grade classroom, and older kids are viewed as more advanced, it’s often because adults tend to compare children to one another. The relatively older children may appear to behave better than the relatively younger children, especially as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858415616358">kindergarten classrooms focus more on academics</a> and offer less time to play. Together these differences are called the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1006/drev.2000.0516">relative age effect</a>.”</p>
<p>As a result, some families choose to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/redshirting-your-kindergartner-is-it-the-right-choice-in-the-long-run/2019/10/07/f335fff0-d976-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html">delay their child’s entry into kindergarten</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0162373713482764">particularly those who can afford to do so</a>.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BRXERkMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">clinical psychologist</a> who studies how to best support children in school settings, particularly those at risk for behavioral challenges like ADHD. Here are five ways families can help support their kindergartners, especially those who are relatively younger than their classmates.</p>
<h2>1. Learning opportunities</h2>
<p>Relatively older students have had more time to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.44.3.641">learn academic skills</a>. To help younger kindergartners catch up with their older classroom peers, families can offer additional learning experiences. This includes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797615581493">engaging the children in more conversations</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09598-1">shared book reading</a>. This can be started during the preschool years and throughout kindergarten. </p>
<h2>2. Be positive</h2>
<p>Parents and educators can direct focus as much as possible on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2018.12.007">encouraging and praising the positive performance</a> of relatively younger children in the classroom. If the feedback is mostly negative – in which the relatively younger child is always told to “hurry up,” “pay attention,” “do it the right way,” and all other variations of directives that include words like “no,” “don’t” or “stop” – they may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199324552.013.2">eventually shut down and stop trying</a> to follow instructions. To combat this, educators and parents can focus on emphasizing all the things the child is doing right, rather than wrong. A good goal is to be mindful of directing at least <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2013.10.001">three positive statements to the child for every correction or redirection</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child in a yellow shirt places a small turtle in the mud next to some water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469559/original/file-20220617-23-86f16f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A New Jersey kindergartner releases a turtle into the wild after it was raised from an egg when its mother was struck and killed by a car.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/RescuedBabyTurtles/6d184514f9314378af6e4dc582371948/photo">AP Photo/Wayne Parry</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Set tailored goals</h2>
<p>Parents of relatively younger children can meet with their child’s teacher early in the school year to discuss individual goals for the child. That meeting can discuss the child’s current strengths and skills, as well as areas in need of growth. The adults can establish reasonable, achievable goals for the child each week or month. That can help offset possible relative comparisons that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1229-6">may mask individual progress</a>. </p>
<h2>4. Track progress</h2>
<p>To follow up with the goals set at the beginning of the year, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1098300712440451">daily or weekly check-in</a> on behavioral or academic progress can help parents and teachers work best together. Waiting until the end of the school year is too long and leaves no time to change course if goals need to be modified. Frequent check-ins also provide opportunities to reward and praise the child for success.</p>
<h2>5. Keep perspective</h2>
<p>Educators and parents may find it useful to remember that kindergarten is only one year of what is almost two decades of education for children on a college track – and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22135">age differences matter less and less in academic performance</a> as children get older.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184727/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Fabiano works on research studies that have received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Institute for Education Sciences. He receives royalties from Guilford Publications and consultant payments from FastBridge Learning. </span></em></p>Kindergartners who are relatively younger than their classroom peers are at risk for doing less well in school. A clinical psychologist explains how to reduce those problems.Gregory Fabiano, Professor of Psychology, Florida International UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1806442022-05-30T15:12:49Z2022-05-30T15:12:49ZAddressing childhood anxiety as early as kindergarten could reduce its harmful impacts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465804/original/file-20220527-15-c30ne0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=909%2C209%2C4274%2C2152&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Signs of anxiety in kindergarten should not be ignored.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Anxiety disorders are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20855043/">some of the most common mental disorders</a> in children and youth. They emerge and can be diagnosed as early as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2005.06.003">preschool age</a>, with half being diagnosed by the age of six. </p>
<p>Anxiety in early childhood has consistently been associated with symptoms of anxiety throughout <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-010-9365-8">childhood</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01812.x">adolescence</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00279.x">adulthood</a>, and with a <a href="https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Abstract/2016/05000/Association_of_Childhood_Anxiety_Disorders_and.2.aspx">lower quality of life</a>.</p>
<p>We are researchers with the <a href="https://offordcentre.com/">Offord Centre for Child Studies</a> in the department of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster University. With colleagues, we undertook a population-wide <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01332-9">study of kindergarten-age children attending public schools across Canada between 2004 and 2015</a>. To our knowledge, this study provided the first Canada-wide snapshot of anxiety symptoms among children as they enter school. </p>
<p>Our results demonstrate that a child showing signs of anxiety in kindergarten should not be ignored. Children with elevated symptoms of anxiety are three to six times more likely to be vulnerable in other areas of their development than those with very few of these symptoms.</p>
<p>This study also provides an estimate of the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among kindergarten-aged children in Canada. These could, in future, serve as a baseline for comparing groups of children after the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A boy and girl seen playing with play tools in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465807/original/file-20220527-15-5p25fc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Limited evidence exists about how anxiety symptoms in young children may be related to their development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.all4ed.org/license/">(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Adverse effects on development</h2>
<p>Anxiety can have adverse effects on child development, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199009000-00014">even if a child’s anxiety levels fall below what clinicians would consider an anxiety disorder</a>. Experiencing anxiety symptoms <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018839">can also interfere with children’s functioning</a>, for example, if children avoid situations that make them feel anxious.</p>
<p>With <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34369987/">rates of anxiety increasing in children and youth since 2020</a>, early identification and intervention are important to decrease <a href="https://pathways-psychology.com/long-term-effects-of-stress-and-anxiety">long-term impacts</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/child-and-youth-mental-health-problems-have-doubled-during-covid-19-162750">Child and youth mental health problems have doubled during COVID-19</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Information about the prevalence of anxiety disorders in young children is quite limited compared to what’s known about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01618.x">older children</a>. There is also limited evidence about how symptoms of anxiety in young children may be related to aspects of their development that are important for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280701610796">succeeding in school</a>.</p>
<h2>Academic outcomes</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9224-0">2008 study</a>, psychology researchers from Université Laval and Université de Montréal found kindergarteners with high levels of anxiety were at greater risk of not finishing high school, compared to their non-anxious peers. </p>
<p>This was the case even when accounting for other risk factors like aggression, hyperactivity, academic achievement and family problems. These results indicated that how children act, behave and feel in kindergarten can predict academic outcomes years later.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/boys-attention-and-prosocial-behaviour-linked-to-earnings-30-years-later-112388">Boys' attention and prosocial behaviour linked to earnings 30 years later</a>
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</em>
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<p>Our study sought to understand kindergarten-age children’s anxiety on a larger scale. Our results could similarly be used to study subsets of the population. For example, in Ontario, we have linked some early child development data to standardized test scores in grades 3, 6, 9 and 10, but haven’t yet completed our study.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A boy is seen playing with dinosaurs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465806/original/file-20220527-13-r6siu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How children act, behave and feel in kindergarten can predict outcomes years later.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Symptoms of anxiety</h2>
<p>We aimed to determine the percentage of children in kindergarten in publicly funded schools across Canada showing symptoms of anxiety. We <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-022-01332-9/tables/1">gathered data from children in 12 of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Nunavut)</a>.</p>
<p>We used data collected through the <a href="https://edi.offordcentre.com/">Early Development Instrument</a> (EDI), a teacher-completed checklist that measures five main domains of development: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; and communication skills and general knowledge. </p>
<p>Under these five domains are 16 subdomains, including an anxious and fearful subdomain that falls under the emotional maturity domain, and includes symptoms of anxiety. We used this in our study to classify children as highly anxious.</p>
<p>The study population included 1,038,354 children attending publicly funded schools whose teachers completed the EDI between 2004 and 2015. Most of the EDI data in this study come from <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023688">government-funded, full provincial or territorial data collections</a>. </p>
<p>How provinces and territories collect EDI data varies: For example, in Ontario, all schools participated once every three years in three different data collection windows (2004-06; 2007-09; 2010-12). In 2015, however, the province switched to a one-year model and collected all provincial EDI data in one year. </p>
<h2>Relationship between anxiety, vulnerability</h2>
<p>We found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01332-9">almost three per cent</a> of kindergarteners were rated as being highly anxious by their teachers.</p>
<p>Rates varied somewhat across the country, ranging from 1.1 per cent in Prince Edward Island to five per cent in Northwest Territories. </p>
<p>We also looked at the association between symptoms of anxiety and vulnerabilities in other areas of development. </p>
<p>A child is considered to be vulnerable in a given domain if their score on the EDI falls below the 10th percentile value based on national EDI scores.</p>
<p>A child classified as vulnerable is struggling in a certain area. Overall, anxious children were 3.5 to 6.1 times more likely than their non-anxious peers to be vulnerable in four domains of development: physical, social, language/cognitive and communication.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A father seen hugging a child." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465796/original/file-20220527-11-aobu4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A greater percentage of children considered highly anxious spoke English or French as a second language than non-anxious children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Subgroups of children</h2>
<p>Children rated as highly anxious tended to be younger and were more likely to be male than their non-anxious peers, but the differences between these groups were quite small. </p>
<p>A greater percentage of children considered highly anxious had special needs and English or French as a second language than non-anxious children. Other research has also documented associations <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/30393">between anxiety and second language learning</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/20441281211227193">between anxiety and special needs</a>. We found:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>14.2 per cent of children considered highly anxious had either English or French as a second language. This rate is significantly higher than 12.9 per cent of non-anxious kids who spoke English or French as a second language;</p></li>
<li><p>11.1 per cent of children considered highly anxious were classified as having special needs (compared to 3.4 per cent of non-anxious kids). The EDI captures “special needs” when a child has a medical diagnosis or the teacher has observed the child needs assistance in class above and beyond what the average child requires. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>To put these figures in perspective, most children considered highly anxious speak the language of school instruction as their home language (85.8 per cent) and don’t have special needs (89 per cent). </p>
<h2>Valuable source of information</h2>
<p>Our study demonstrates that teacher reports of children’s behaviours at school, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2018.07.003">an environment that might cause some children to be anxious</a>, can be a valuable source of information on anxiety in kindergarteners. Our study supports the idea that anxiety and other aspects of development are closely intertwined.</p>
<p>Results of this study can provide important information for policy. For example, schools with high rates of anxious children may be encouraged to put into practice class-level activities to reduce the long-term effects of anxiety in kindergarten. </p>
<p>Or, board-wide curriculum, educational services or programming could be developed and monitored to determine how these are meeting particular groups of children’s needs: experts in language learning and early childhood education may be able to suggest interventions to reduce anxiety of students whose home language differs from the language of instruction.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/culturally-responsive-teaching-in-a-globalized-world-109881">Culturally responsive teaching in a globalized world</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Finally, this study also provides baseline estimates of anxiety symptoms among kindergarten-aged children in Canada. These could, in future, be compared to data collected with the same method in kindergarten-aged students across Canada post-COVID-19.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180644/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Magdalena Janus received funding from CIHR and is a member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Reid-Westoby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A study of students across Canada between 2004 and 2015 provides an estimate of anxiety symptoms in kindergarteners, and can serve as a baseline for comparing children’s anxiety after COVID-19.Caroline Reid-Westoby, Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityMagdalena Janus, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1752102022-05-02T19:44:31Z2022-05-02T19:44:31ZKindergarten educators with children at home struggled during the pandemic — mental health supports are needed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444414/original/file-20220203-27-gk4drm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C1094%2C689&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kindergarten teachers were tasked with adapting a hands-on, play-based curricula in a virtual environment – a nearly impossible task even without parenting one's own children at the same time. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Concerns about the effects of school closures and COVID-19 disruptions over the past two years are still very much a concern for educators — including well-placed <a href="https://doi.org/10.47326/ocsat.2021.02.34.1.0">worries about how school closures have affected young learners</a>.</p>
<p>It is important to recognize that school closures have also significantly impacted educators and parents — critical figures and caregivers for children. Our research has examined how educators who are also parents have fared with teaching from home with their children underfoot.</p>
<p>Among the most affected educators have been the teams of kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators responsible for implementing Ontario’s <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016">full-day learning curriculum</a>. </p>
<p>Kindergarten in Ontario focuses on hands-on, play-based and interactive learning — activities that are nearly impossible to re-create in an online environment. </p>
<h2>Survey of kindergarten educators</h2>
<p>Our team at the <a href="https://offordcentre.com/">Offord Centre for Child Studies</a> at McMaster University surveyed kindergarten <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103735">teachers and early childhood educators</a> representing almost all of Ontario’s school boards in the spring of 2020, when schools first shut down. </p>
<p>Ontario’s kindergarten model <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-team-approach-makes-full-day-kindergarten-a-success-113339">is a team approach with both professionals in classrooms</a>. Study participants included 1,790 educators in Ontario — about three-quarters were kindergarten teachers and about one-quarter were early childhood educators.</p>
<p>We wanted to know if educators who had to balance teaching from home with caregiving responsibilities for family members reported poorer mental health than their colleagues who did not. The survey data we gleaned <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103735">strongly suggested they did</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bars of a graph in light orange, dark orange and brown show comparative rates of depression and comparable rates of anxiety among people who had responsibilities for child care, shared responsibilities and no responsibilities for child care" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443892/original/file-20220201-17-1o2egnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Child care: Differences in depression and anxiety in educators that reported no responsibilities for child care, shared and primary responsibilities for child care. Numbers refer to the score on a depression and anxiety scale for each group.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our findings show that those who were primarily responsible for the care or learning of their own children self-reported poorer mental health than those who did not have these responsibilities or those who could share them. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bars of a graph in light orange, dark orange and brown show comparative rates of depression and comparable rates of anxiety among people who had responsibilities for child learning, shared responsibilities and no responsibilities for child learning." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443895/original/file-20220201-18-1v8etcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Child learning: Differences in depression and anxiety of educators who had no responsibilities for child learning, shared responsibilities and primary responsibilities for child learning. Numbers refer to the score on a depression and anxiety scale for each group.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Caregiving for older adults also</h2>
<p>Previous research from Ireland involving more than 600 adults suggests <a href="https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/bjhp.12450">an association between taking care of children in the pandemic and positive emotion, although the same study found an association between schooling children at home and negative emotion</a>. Our study suggests caring for children in the pandemic may have only been positive for parents if the responsibilities are shared. Those who could share their responsibilities for childcare or learning fared better in terms of depression and anxiety than those who did not have any such responsibilities.</p>
<p>Our findings also indicated that educators who, during the early stages of the pandemic, reported being responsible for the care of an older adult also had higher depression and anxiety levels compared to those who did not have this responsibility.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bars of a graph seen in bright and dark orange compare rates of depression and anxiety among people who had adult care responsibilities and those who didn't." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443896/original/file-20220201-19-sf08d0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Differences in depression and anxiety between educators who reported no adult care responsibilities and those who did. Numbers refer to the score on a depression and anxiety scale for each group.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Women’s pandemic realities</h2>
<p>These findings are not only important when thinking about educators and how they can be best positioned to respond to young student needs, but also about working professionals in general. </p>
<p>Given that <a href="https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/dai/smr08/2014/smr08_190_2014#a5">most kindergarten educators are women</a>, these findings further support the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic has been having a larger impact on <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/15487733.2020.1776561?needAccess=true">working women with children than on men</a>.</p>
<p>These findings stress the importance of providing adequate mental health supports for teachers and early childhood educators to ensure they can in turn provide optimal support to our youngest learners. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-cross-canada-research-highlights-an-early-childhood-educator-recruitment-crisis-160968">New cross-Canada research highlights an early childhood educator recruitment crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Sum of our roles</h2>
<p>Our results also highlight the need to think about the sum of our individual roles and responsibilities to better understand the full impact of the pandemic. Each of us has more than one role in life, and all of them have been impacted in one way or another.</p>
<p>Emerging from the pandemic, when employers consider supports required for employees, they need to look at things from a big-picture level. </p>
<p>Bearing in mind how employees have experienced home life and professional life both need to be held into account to help our society to continue to find possible solutions that will better support families in our society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175210/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Magdalena Janus is partly supported by the Government of Ontario/Children's Secretariat Chair in Early Childhood Development
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalie Spadafora does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Kindergarten educators who taught from home during COVID-19 and who were primarily responsible for their own children self-reported poorer mental health than those without these responsibilities.Natalie Spadafora, Post-doctoral fellow, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster UniversityMagdalena Janus, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1807332022-05-02T18:54:28Z2022-05-02T18:54:28ZDisruptive kindergartners are likely to be bullied later in elementary school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460414/original/file-20220428-24-xxymvo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5100%2C3825&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Misbehavior increases the risk of being bullied.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/children-at-school-royalty-free-image/83606485">Rubberball/Nicole Hill/Brand X Pictures via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Kindergartners who act out, disrupt classrooms, get angry and argue with their teachers are especially <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09520-7">likely to be bullied</a> once they reach third, fourth and fifth grade, our research group has found. </p>
<p>We continue to investigate bullying in U.S. elementary schools, but our initial findings indicate that the odds that disruptive kindergartners will be shoved, pushed or hit, teased or called names, left out, and have lies told about them are roughly twice as high as for kindergartners who do not act out in classrooms. We observed this in analyses accounting for many other risk factors.</p>
<p>Our findings are consistent with, but also extend, prior research documenting that children who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0044118X20932594">from poor families</a> or who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.05.007">struggling academically</a> are more likely to be bullied than their peers who are from <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301960">wealthier families</a> or who are more academically skilled. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2020.10.011">As with older children</a>, we find that young boys are more likely to be shoved, pushed or hit, while young girls are more likely to be teased or called names, left out, and told lies about. Children with disabilities, particularly boys, are more likely to be frequently bullied. Black boys more frequently experienced other children telling lies about them than white boys, consistent with prior work finding that Black children are at greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9843-y">risk of being bullied in adolescence</a>.</p>
<p>We believe our study represents the first analysis of a nationally representative sample that identifies which kindergartners are most likely to be bullied later in U.S. elementary schools. We hope the information helps parents and school staff identify and support young children who are especially likely to be bullied.</p>
<h2>The harms of bullying</h2>
<p>Schoolchildren who are frequently bullied are likely to later be <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000171">depressed</a>, anxious and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716000362">suicidal</a> as well as to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/obes.12432">unemployed</a>, impoverished and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-3426">abusing substances</a>. These risks are as large as those associated with being placed in foster care or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/HRP.0000000000000137">experiencing maltreatment</a>. </p>
<p>Early identification can help support those children who are being bullied and so limit the potential damage. Screening and prevention efforts are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2014.11.005">more effective</a> when delivered while children are still young. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-0504">Mental health supports</a> may be needed for those being frequently bullied.</p>
<p>And looking at specific types of bullying may help schools and parents more directly serve the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12621">different psychological needs</a> of children experiencing physical or nonphysical bullying.</p>
<p>The results suggest that <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/publications/what-works-for-reducing-problem-behaviors-in-early-childhood">the more schools can do</a> to help kindergartners learn to manage their disruptive behaviors, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2654">less likely</a> these children are to be bullied later on in elementary school.</p>
<p>[<em>Interested in science headlines but not politics? Or just politics or religion?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-interested">The Conversation has newsletters to suit your interests</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180733/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul L. Morgan has received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. </span></em></p>Children who are bullied in school are at higher risk for depression and anxiety later in life.Paul L. Morgan, Eberly Fellow, Professor of Education and Demography, and Director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1708512021-11-16T13:13:06Z2021-11-16T13:13:06ZHow getting kids to make grocery lists and set the table can improve their vocabulary and willingness to learn<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430097/original/file-20211103-18-1lx7jae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children can help make grocery lists and confirm the parent has bought everything on the list. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/helping-my-mom-to-do-grocery-shopping-royalty-free-image/1322934880">Antonio Diaz/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Reading, writing and math are often thought of as subjects that children learn in school. But as a <a href="http://psychology.pitt.edu/people/diana-leyva-phd">psychologist who researches</a> how families can help <a href="http://foodforthought.pitt.edu/index.html">support learning at home</a>, I have found that children can also learn those skills through everyday tasks and chores. One of these chores is preparing a meal – everything from grocery shopping and cooking to setting the table and enjoying the meal. </p>
<p>Our research shows this is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/703104">especially true for Latino families</a> living in the U.S., many of whom are new to school systems in the U.S. but for whom family dinners are a central part of the day.</p>
<p>Our study included 248 Latino parents with kids in kindergarten. Some parents were given a set of tips – described below – on how to support children’s language, literacy and math at home while selecting, preparing and eating food. Parents were asked to use these tips for at least a month. Other parents were not given these tips. </p>
<p>Our study found that the children whose parents were given these tips had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13698">larger vocabularies and more motivation to learn</a> both one month after using the tips and even five months later. These children were also better storytellers and were better able to control their behavior and pay better attention compared with children whose parents were not given these tips. </p>
<p>Busy parents in particular <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.07.001">loved these tips</a> because they were easy to follow and to fit into their regular schedules and did not require extra work or special materials. </p>
<h2>1. Make grocery lists</h2>
<p>Parents can ask their children to write out the grocery list before they go food shopping. While older children can use letters and numbers – for example, “2 cereal boxes, 10 bananas,” younger children might be encouraged to draw pictures of the items their parents want to buy or to use a combination of letters, numbers and pictures.</p>
<p>A 2017 study found that the more parents let their children try out writing and reading letters and numbers on their own while making grocery lists, the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200617300042">better the children’s reading and math skills</a> are later.</p>
<p>Once back from the store, parents can ask children to use their grocery list to check whether the parents bought everything on the list. This is a great way for children to practice writing, reading and math. </p>
<h2>2. Cooking and setting the table</h2>
<p>Gathering and mixing the ingredients for cooking or setting the table are opportunities for kids to <a href="https://dreme.stanford.edu/news/family-math-research-and-practice-where-do-we-go-here">practice math</a> in a playful and familiar way. We found that practicing math with children during these household chores can also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13698">increase kids’ motivation to learn math</a>. </p>
<p>Ask your child questions such as: Can you get five apples from the fridge? I added 4 cups of milk plus one more – how many are there in total? How many plates and forks do we need today?</p>
<h2>3. Tell stories at mealtime</h2>
<p>Parents can use family dinner and other meals to encourage children to tell stories about their day. Telling stories about past or future events is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13034">great way to build skills like vocabulary and story comprehension</a> that are needed to read. </p>
<p>To get children to talk, parents should use lots of questions that require children to come up with their own answer rather than simply responding with a “yes” or a “no.” For example: Who came with you to the party? Where did you go with Grandma? Why were you scared? </p>
<p>Talking about topics that the child cares about can also help parents get children to talk. To keep the child engaged in the conversation, parents can ask follow-up questions like “And then what happened?” They can also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2010.481552">repeat back what the child says</a>. For example, if the child says “We went to the park,” the parent might respond “That’s right, we went to the park!” and use phrases such as “Uh-huh,” “Oh,” “I didn’t know that” and “Really?” to keep the conversation going.</p>
<h2>4. Use the language that’s most comfortable</h2>
<p>Parents should feel free to talk in the language they know best. Many parents might feel pressured to speak in one language - such as English – at home because this is the language used in school. However, when parents speak in the language they are most familiar with, they are better able to express their thoughts and feelings while also preserving their culture. Speaking a native language at home is not detrimental to children’s learning. When children have strong foundations in one language – such as Spanish – they can use that knowledge as a <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED595539">building block for learning a second language</a> – such as English. </p>
<p>Our research is based primarily on Latino families, who place particular value on family meals. Latino families tend to eat together <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7445606/">more often</a> than families from other ethnicities. They are also more likely to cook at home and involve children in kitchen chores. </p>
<p>However, these tips apply to all families who regularly cook, eat and shop for food together. And they can help busy parents support their young children’s learning without much added burden or spending.</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170851/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Diana Leyva received funding from the Brady Education Foundation. Diana Leyva is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a Research Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at University of Pittsburgh</span></em></p>Grocery shopping and family meals are prime opportunities to build reading and math skills – particularly for young Latino children, a new study finds.Diana Leyva, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of PittsburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1666192021-09-06T12:04:44Z2021-09-06T12:04:44ZDoes my child have separation anxiety? How parents can help with children’s back-to-school fears<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419603/original/file-20210906-23-58piv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=241%2C175%2C6512%2C4659&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After long periods of social isolation with family members, it may be hard for some children — and parents — to be separated.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/ August de Richelieu)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Going back-to-school is an exciting time for many children. But for some it also <a href="https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/helping-your-child-cope-with-back-to-school-anxiety/">stirs up stress and anxiety</a>. Are they going to like their new teacher? Are they going to enjoy their new school? Are their friends going to be in their class? </p>
<p>It is normal for young children to experience anxiety when separating from parents or caregivers. When you <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-some-kids-may-experience-separation-anxiety-due-to-covid-19/">layer a pandemic on top of ordinary back-to-school stress, many children will be struggling more than usual</a>. </p>
<p>In everyday language, it’s common for people to <a href="https://childmind.org/article/back-to-school-anxiety-during-covid/">talk about children</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-dogs-and-cats-manage-separation-anxiety-when-their-humans-return-to-work-148301">(or even pets)</a> experiencing separation anxiety. </p>
<p>When children experience more intense fears and anxieties that interfere with going to school over a prolonged period of time, or that interfere with how they function at school and/or how they interact with others, this is what psychologists call <a href="https://www.anxietycanada.com/disorders/separation-anxiety-2/">separation anxiety disorder</a>. <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/separation-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20377455">Separation anxiety disorder</a> is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.12.002">most common anxiety disorder in children</a> under 12 years of age. </p>
<p>Even when children are experiencing typical levels of anxiety — whether they are starting kindergarten, transitioning to a new school — or returning to more familiar surroundings, how parents respond is important.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child waves goodbye from school steps." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419324/original/file-20210903-15-1x5sxtm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A student waves to her parents as she enters the Bancroft Elementary School as students go back to school in Montréal last August.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Anxiety and the pandemic</h2>
<p>After long periods of social isolation with family members, it may be hard for some children — and parents — to be separated from them once the school bell rings.
Particularly after our pandemic year, some children <a href="https://theconversation.com/dreading-going-back-to-the-workplace-you-might-be-feeling-separation-anxiety-from-your-home-145377">and parents may still feel some anxiety about going into unfamiliar places</a>. They may also have concerns about pandemic safety that makes going back to school stressful.</p>
<p>In a normal year, approximately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.12.004">one in 10 children experience elevated anxiety levels</a>. However, research shows that <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2782796">anxiety levels in children have doubled during the pandemic</a>, with one in five experiencing significant anxiety. </p>
<p>In the past year and a half, most children spent more time at home than usual, notably when schools were closed. Even when children were allowed to spend time with friends, there were often restrictions in place, such as being outdoors or keeping a mask on, and staying socially distant. </p>
<p>For some children, these restrictions can increase stress associated with interactions outside of their family. </p>
<h2>What separation anxiety can look like</h2>
<p>Separation anxiety can unfold in different ways. Children may refuse to go to school or participate in new activities in the absence of their parent. They may also refuse to go to bed without their parent or sleep away from home. </p>
<p>Some children experiencing separation anxiety have physical symptoms such as stomach aches and nightmares, while others may experience headaches or a racing heartbeat. Others may have persistent thoughts that something bad is going to happen to themselves or to their parents. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-your-child-cope-with-the-transition-back-to-school-during-covid-19-144530">How to help your child cope with the transition back to school during COVID-19</a>
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<p>Some children may also be anxious when it comes to the pandemic specifically.
Going back to school can entail <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-to-school-faqs-on-childrens-health-and-covid-19-delta-variant-preventing-infection-testing-and-international-examples-164684">some risks for unvaccinated children</a>, and some may fear contracting COVID-19 or transmitting it to their friends and family. Also, children, much like adults, may feel a little “rusty” when it comes to interacting with people outside the family, particularly with strangers like a new teacher. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A father and child talk lying down and the boy looks a little apprehensive while the father holds his hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C995%2C5414%2C3014&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419335/original/file-20210903-13-1cpo6eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children, much like adults, may feel a little unpractised at interacting with people outside the family.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)</span></span>
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<h2>Strategies to support your child</h2>
<p>Whether you know your child has struggled significantly with anxiety before, or they seem worried or anxious about going back to school, we offer several strategies below to help you navigate these feelings with them.</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Validate your child’s fears and anxieties.</strong> Feeling anxious about separating from the comfort of caregivers is a normal response to stressful events. When children express anxiety, let them know you hear them and understand. You can validate and normalize their feelings by saying: “I get that you feel worried. I bet many other kids are feeling that way too.” </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Encourage positive self-talk.</strong> Help children develop a growth mindset that includes positive and productive statements such as: “I am brave, I can do this.” Positive self-talk has been linked to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02354595">increased self-esteem in kids</a>. Try practising this at home in the lead up to school, so it’s familiar and easy for kids to use these statements when they are separated from you or get anxious at school.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Plan to take small steps through the fall.</strong> It is a lot to ask children to go from limited social interactions during the pandemic to extended social interactions in a small space at school. During the first few weeks of school, try to resist the temptation to fill the evening weekends with outings and events. Consider doing home-based activities that children are familiar with to help provide some consistency in their environment. As your children get more comfortable with social interactions, start progressively adding more activities to their calendar as pandemic restrictions permit.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Stick to routines.</strong> The transition to a new school climate may feel unpredictable to children. This can result in increased anxiety. One way to reduce such anxiety is by having consistent routines at home. For example, stick to a consistent schedule when it comes to eating, bath time, screen time and bedtime. Research has found this has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100291">helped children experience more well-being during the pandemic</a>. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Talk about the positive aspects of going to school and venturing out in new ways.</strong> Children (and adults!) can have a hard time seeing the positive aspects of anxiety-inducing situations. Parents can help children see the positive side of the back-to-school, including learning new things, time with friends or participating in extracurricular activities. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Model positive behaviours.</strong> Children are not the only ones that have seen an increase in their anxiety this past year. There have also been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00074-2">rises in</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-parents-can-be-emotion-coaches-as-kids-navigate-back-to-school-during-covid-19-166148">parental anxiety</a>. Even with respect to school, many parents may also be anxious about being separated from their child. When parents discuss their anxiety and stressors, children may internalize these worries. Try to avoid discussing your life stressors in front of your child, and also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764203254619">avoid exposure to alarming media, which has been shown to increase children’s anxiety</a>.</p></li>
</ol>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r_5eiYIo1XM?wmode=transparent&start=70" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from Anxiety Canada models how parents can accompany their kindergartener to school.</span></figcaption>
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<p>It is understandable that children may struggle with separating from their loved ones as they experience another unconventional back-to-school. Nonetheless, these strategies can help parents play an important role in easing their children’s anxiety and making the back-to-school more enjoyable for them.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-build-childrens-resilience-and-your-own-amid-coronavirus-unknowns-135789">How to build children's resilience, and your own, amid coronavirus unknowns</a>
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<p>If you have questions about <a href="https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/separation-anxiety-linked-to-poorer-health">whether your child could benefit from additional support</a>, you can consider reaching out for professional help, including talking to your family physician. Anxiety Canada provides a <a href="https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/find-help/">directory of professional services available across Canada</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Audrey-Ann Deneault receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, and the Canada Research Chairs program.</span></em></p>When you layer a pandemic on top of back-to-school, many children may struggle with separation anxiety. Here are some strategies parents can use to help reduce anxiety in their children.Audrey-Ann Deneault, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Psychology, University of CalgarySheri Madigan, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1513362021-05-31T20:08:00Z2021-05-31T20:08:00ZNew Alberta curriculum would overload young learners when what they need is balance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402171/original/file-20210521-17-171ptyy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C52%2C8648%2C5722&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Literacy is much like learning to ride a bike: young kids can only advance to “tricks” when they learn how to balance a number of other complex and inter-related activities</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alberta’s Ministry of Education under the leadership of Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party recently released a <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/curriculum.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=K6curriculum&utm_term=curriculum&utm_content=v1">draft of new kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum it proposes beginning to pilot in the 2021 school year</a>. </p>
<p>Responses to the <a href="https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/opposition-to-k-6-curriculum-draft-grows-as-11723-parents-sign-petition">curriculum’s content and how it was developed have been both swift and harsh</a> from the Alberta Teachers’ Association, some parent groups, researchers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjklBEsgG6Q">and the NDP opposition</a>. Some major school boards <a href="https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/opposition-to-k-6-curriculum-draft-grows-as-11723-parents-sign-petition">across the province have said they won’t pilot it</a>.</p>
<p>In the kindergarten to Grade 3 years, major concern <a href="https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/alberta-teachers-demanding-full-rewrite-of-draft-k-6-curriculum">relates to the age appropriateness and the heavy load of complex factual information</a>. </p>
<p>There is a new <a href="https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/not-fit-for-students-teachers-demand-halt-on-albertas-k-6-curriculum-draft">push to introduce</a> <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/curriculum-social-studies.aspx">what the province describes as “knowledge-rich</a>” sections of social studies curriculum related to “history, geography, civics, financial literacy and economics, telling the story of Alberta, Canada and world history at age-appropriate levels.”</p>
<p>Accessing knowledge-rich content assumes language and literacy competencies. As a researcher who has studied developmental patterns of <a href="https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29435">language and literacy learning</a> in the kindergarten to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2018.1499160">Grade 4 years</a> among <a href="http://www.teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/view/413">English language learners and learners whose first language is English</a>, I find that how the new curriculum envisions children’s <a href="https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/f/litk">literacy progressions</a> is particularly concerning. Other than phonics understandings in kindergarten, language and literacy development do not receive adequate instructional focus in grades 1 to 3. </p>
<p>The human species is not hard-wired for literacy. It must be learned, and this takes time, good teaching and practice that a well-designed curriculum provides.</p>
<p>Early reading and writing depend on analogous underlying understandings involved in mapping sound to print (phonics) and letter recognition. It requires that children can automatically recognize words and achieve spelling accuracy. They need to gain <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-cursive-handwriting-needs-to-make-a-school-comeback-121645">the ability to produce legible and increasingly fluent handwriting</a> and to move well <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-read-aloud-tips-for-parents-to-help-prevent-childrens-covid-19-pandemic-learning-loss-154343">beyond high-frequency vocabulary</a>. </p>
<h2>Importance of fine motor skills</h2>
<p>To develop in language, literacy and numeracy knowledge, children need repeated opportunities to reconstruct internal mental representations of the external material world. Children do this <a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/guided-physical-play-kindergarten">through an enormous amount of fine motor manipulative and fine motor literacy play</a> in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2011.636729">service of letter recognition, spelling patterns and numeracy concepts</a>. </p>
<p>Playing with blocks, loose parts, fasteners of all kinds, puzzle pieces, pencils, crayons, chalk, paper and scissors, tweezers and chopsticks, for example, teaches the brain <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/191866/the-hand-by-frank-r-wilson">the hand-brain-tool connection</a> and makes for nimble fingers. Indeed, researchers <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20822219">suggest that</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723714535768">measures of fine motor control are good predictors of children’s early language, literacy and numeracy</a>. Playful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGXyln-7_w">involvement in nursery rhymes</a> teaches phonemic awareness, rhythm and vocabulary development through actions. All the while, children are repurposing understandings of patterns, sequences, shape, size, structures and hierarchies, cycles and categories. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/summer-play-that-enriches-kids-reading-skills-8-fine-motor-activities-for-little-fingers-118673">Summer play that enriches kids' reading skills — 8 fine motor activities for little fingers</a>
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<p>Through these activities, children engage the neurocircuity needed to support future literacy and numeracy learning. </p>
<p>Early understandings need to be contextualized within the child’s immediate and familiar world of experience expanding from their family, neighbourhood and community. Just like eating a diet of exclusively rich food, an overload of knowledge-rich curriculum could result <a href="https://havelockprimaryschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cognitive-load-theory-VR_AA3.pdf">in kids who are over-stuffed with facts they cannot make sense of</a>, and under-nourished with foundational learning. </p>
<p>Just right teaching involves recognizing individual children’s readiness to engage with increasingly challenging skills, concepts and competencies. Despite individual differences in the developmental profiles of children, broadly recognized and accepted patterns and benchmarks signal whether children are on track. In Alberta <a href="https://ecdcoalitions.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/EDI_CALGARY-CITYWIDE.pdf">31 per cent of children entering kindergarten are considered “at risk”</a> in their communication and general knowledge. </p>
<h2>Like learning to ride a bike</h2>
<p>Literacy is much like learning to ride a bike: young kids can only advance to jumping the curb, showing off their other tricks and safely monitoring the traffic around them if they offload the basics of pedalling and controlling the brakes and handlebars. The brain only has so much capacity to juggle competing demands of complex tasks, including reading, writing and solving math problems. Childhood cannot be rushed by providing more, earlier or more difficult academic information, sooner. </p>
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<img alt="A boy holding a pencil." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402381/original/file-20210524-15-oytenc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children revel in the sense of agency and delight they find when learning how to communicate through writing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Cognitive overload happens when children are <a href="https://havelockprimaryschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cognitive-load-theory-VR_AA3.pdf">asked to deal with complex information that is beyond their current ability to understand and process</a>, and for which they lack prior knowledge. Such information is soon forgotten or discarded.</p>
<p>Children revel in the joy, sense of agency and sheer delight of conveying their thoughts, opinions and understandings through the magic of literacy. Their writing, as early as Grade 2, demonstrates risk taking with words that are beyond their literate knowledge, but also that they are <a href="http://learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/642/642">keen to try using their “best guess spelling</a>.” </p>
<p>Adults too often underestimate the complex demands of the kindergarten to Grade 3 years: childhood and early years’ learning take time. </p>
<h2>Hit pause</h2>
<p>Besides the contentious nature of the draft curriculum that begs for some rethinking, we need to remind ourselves that a year of COVID-19 has had serious negative consequences in the early learning outcomes, especially among our youngest students. </p>
<p>Data from Alberta schools indicate the most vulnerable children in kindergarten to Grade 3 years have fallen behind the most in reading achievement: <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/elise-stolte-alberta-must-keep-elementary-schools-open-online-learning-was-a-disaster-for-struggling-kids">approximately one month for every month of school missed</a>. This comes on top of the fact that schools have already been seeing <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2722666">an existing shortfall in kindergarten children’s school readiness</a>.
Now is not the time to pilot and then implement a new curriculum.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151336/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC, and the Alberta's Teachers' Association. </span></em></p>Accessing “knowledge-rich” content assumes language and literacy competencies that take time for children to develop. Childhood cannot be rushed.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1601462021-05-18T12:23:22Z2021-05-18T12:23:22ZThe typical child care worker in the US earns less than $12 an hour<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400624/original/file-20210513-20-1kvhhcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C7844%2C5229&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Taking care of little ones is physically demanding work.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/teacher-keshawna-edwards-zips-up-the-coat-of-montana-mason-news-photo/1232802545">Matt Roth for The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400616/original/file-20210513-20-19npgiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p>The American Families Plan, announced by President Joe Biden in <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/">April 2021</a>, aims to make child care more affordable for parents. Importantly, it also seeks to ensure caregivers are paid a <a href="https://livingwage.mit.edu/">living wage</a> – enough to meet basic needs given the local cost of living. If passed, all workers in child care and pre-K programs that receive federal subsidies would earn at least US$15 per hour. Preschool teachers and child care workers with similar qualifications as kindergarten teachers would be paid in line with what kindergarten teachers earn. </p>
<p>Currently, child care workers who care for infants and toddlers tend to earn much less than those who care for older children.</p>
<p>In 2019, child care workers across the United States earned <a href="https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/">an average wage of $11.65</a> per hour. That includes people who worked in child care centers and schools as well as private homes. As a result, in several states, <a href="https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/">over 25%</a> of those workers – <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/19/903913689/1-in-5-child-care-jobs-were-lost-since-pandemic-started-women-are-affected-most">overwhelmingly women</a> – live at or below the poverty level.</p>
<p>Although early childhood caregivers saw a slight increase in wages in 2020, to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399011.htm">$12.88 per hour</a>, it was a temporary bump due to some being <a href="https://castro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/-castro-haaland-urge-house-leadership-to-establish-family-care-for-essential-workers-and-vulnerable-family-caregivers-during-covid-19">classified as essential workers</a> or receiving <a href="https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/N/NC_Emergency_Child_Care_Operations_Guidelines_Application_Form_03252020.pdf?ver=2020-03-25-203439-153">hazard pay</a> during the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>The median annual income for a child care worker is about <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399011.htm">$25,500</a> for 12 months of work, compared to a preschool teacher’s median salary of just under <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm">$32,000</a> for, often, 10 months. A kindergarten teacher, meanwhile, earns roughly <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/kindergarten-and-elementary-school-teachers.htm#tab-5">$58,000</a>, typically for 10 months.</p>
<h2>Critical development years</h2>
<p>As experts in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-jT5usEAAAAJ&hl=en">child development</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V-FwbJkAAAAJ&hl=en">infant and toddler mental health</a>, we know how important high-quality care is for a child’s development. </p>
<p>A child’s brain develops rapidly from ages 0-5 when the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/35081509">foundational structures</a> for learning and human interaction are established. Research shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579407000326">sensitive and stimulating caregiving</a>, where materials and experiences are carefully selected to engage a child’s senses, set off a series of connections between neurons in their brain. </p>
<p>A caregiver helps a child thrive by providing consistent attention, <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/">back-and-forth communication</a> and emotional responsiveness – during routine times of diapering and feeding, as well as during planned activities. </p>
<p>Failure to respond or responses that are provided by a primary caregiver experiencing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2018.1">higher levels of anxiety</a> have been shown to have an impact on the way <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1387">the child’s brain develops</a>. </p>
<h2>Impact of low wages</h2>
<p>According to the Center for the Study of Child Care at University of California Berkeley, <a href="https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/">caregivers in only 10 states</a> are paid what’s considered a living wage. As a result, nearly half of this workforce nationwide depends on public income support programs like food stamps or Medicaid.</p>
<p>The salary inequities can’t be explained away by lower levels of academic training or easier workdays. Early childhood educators with bachelor’s degrees earn <a href="https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/the-early-educator-workforce/early-educator-pay-economic-insecurity-across-the-states/">as little as half</a> of what K-8 teachers with the same credentials earn. </p>
<p>And whether caregivers are sitting on the floor playing with a child or lifting them into highchairs, the job is physically demanding – especially <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/child-care-ratio-by-state">in states</a> like Florida and Texas where one caregiver may be responsible for 10 or more toddlers. Plus, the average toddler weighs <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm">over 25 pounds</a>.</p>
<p>Low wages, few benefits, stressful work conditions and feeling like their work isn’t valued are factors affecting the <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Teacher_Turnover_REPORT.pdf">high turnover rates</a> and staffing shortage in child care.</p>
<p>A shortage of qualified staff hurts employers, but it also affects the young children who depend on them for care. Continuously changing caregivers influences quality of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21666">interaction and attachment</a>. During such a critical period of growth in a child’s life, when development depends on the caregiver’s attention to a child, we believe caregivers should be paid a wage that makes it possible for them to afford health care – including mental health services, should they be needed – and minimizes distraction from worries about their own economic stability.</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Jozwiak previously received funding from State of New Mexico PreK for universal prek.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carl Sheperis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Biden administration wants workers in child care and pre-K programs to earn at least $15 per hour.Melissa M. Jozwiak, Associate Professor of Early Childhood, Texas A&M University-San AntonioCarl Sheperis, Professor of Mental Health Counseling, Texas A&M University-San AntonioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1607902021-05-14T05:42:41Z2021-05-14T05:42:41ZFinally, an ongoing commitment to funding preschool. But the conditions are hazy and ill-defined<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400698/original/file-20210514-15-18fuvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kids-kindergartner-group-preschool-attention-learning-720987817">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2021-22 budget includes funding for 15 hours per week of free preschool education for all children in the year before school. Although in his <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/josh-frydenberg-2018/speeches/budget-speech-2021-22">budget speech</a>, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there would be $2 billion for preschools, the budget papers specify:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the government will provide $1.6 billion over four years from 2021-22 (and
$589.0 million per year ongoing) to make an ongoing Commonwealth funding
contribution to preschool. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Providing funding for preschool is great. Research shows <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/4287/">quality preschool has a positive influence</a> on children’s growing intellectual, social, emotional and physical development and learning. It also helps them better transition to school.</p>
<p>But before we get too excited, the money is dependent on the federal government wrangling certain agreements with states and territories. And there is little detail on how these agreements can be met.</p>
<h2>More certainty for the sector</h2>
<p>Preschool is jointly funded by the federal, state and territory governments, but in some states, government funding is topped up by parent fees. Preschool includes kindergarten and preschool (states and territories use different names) and is delivered by a range of providers (schools, long daycare and standalone preschools).</p>
<p>Since 2008, the federal government has funded preschool through the <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/national-partnership-agreements">National Partnership Agreement</a> between the Commonwealth and the states. The agreement was not resigned so the funding was <a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-children-and-the-economy-but-the-budget-has-left-funding-uncertain-again-147737">never an ongoing commitment</a>, but a year-on-year investment, which left states holding their breath for a renewal each year. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-children-and-the-economy-but-the-budget-has-left-funding-uncertain-again-147737">Preschool benefits children and the economy. But the budget has left funding uncertain, again</a>
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<p>An ongoing commitment such as what was offered in the budget this week is what people in the sector have been calling for. But the government has conditions on the funding, saying it will be </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] contingent on the states and territories agreeing to a robust reform timeline focused on increasing participation and school readiness. From 2023 this will include ensuring that every child enrolled in an approved preschool program will see the full benefit of Commonwealth funding (around $1,340 per child in 2022) regardless of the preschool setting. From 2024 payments to states and territories will be tied to attendance targets.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These kinds of targets require a consistent framework across the nation. But even the definition of preschool is not consistent across Australia — we don’t have the same name for the same year, nor the exact starting age. </p>
<p>For example, in Western Australia and Tasmania the year before compulsory school is called kindergarten, whereas in New South Wales, it’s preschool. </p>
<p>In WA, preschool is under the care of the education department. Preschools are usually located on a primary school site and administered by the school’s principal. </p>
<p>In other states, preschool can be community-based programs administered by the preschool teacher and a parent committee. </p>
<h2>How can you measure school readiness?</h2>
<p>The term “<a href="https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/8698022/8435postpub.pdf">school readiness</a>” — and what it means or looks like, let alone how it’s measured — is much debated by those who study this area. </p>
<p>There are warnings internationally about the “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669760.2014.960319">schoolification</a>” of preschool. In Australia, early childhood educators have described a “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/183693911604100405">pushdown curriculum</a>” often resulting in the early introduction of instruction in specific subject areas.</p>
<p>How the government might ask states and territories to measure school readiness is a real concern, as children’s numeracy and literacy learning may become the focus.</p>
<p>But high quality preschool programs amplify all aspects of children’s learning, development and growth. Preschool is a prime time for educators to focus on children’s social and emotional competence, relationship building, mental health and well-being — not only their intellectual growth. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-5-kids-start-school-with-health-or-emotional-difficulties-that-challenge-their-learning-131134">1 in 5 kids start school with health or emotional difficulties that challenge their learning</a>
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</em>
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<p>Some experts have argued schools should be ready for students, not the other way around. How schools welcome children and their families, what they know about each child, their learning and interests and how educators use that knowledge is important to an <a href="http://ece.manukau.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/85841/956_ECELitReview.pdf">effective transition</a> from preschool to school. </p>
<p>Under the government’s plan, states and territories also have to sign on “to improve preschool data collection and support a new preschool framework”. Supporting new ways of collecting data could be good but it depends what is considered important to collect. Some people may be concerned a new preschool testing regime is on the cards. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Girl blowing bubbles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400711/original/file-20210514-23-1mxvqh5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Preschool isn’t just about preparing children for the future, but ensuring their well-being in the present.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/children-playing-bubbles-park-660677212">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is important preschool is not only about preparation for the future but allows children to be children in the now. </p>
<p>How one would measure this to meet funding criteria remains to be seen.</p>
<h2>What did the announcement miss?</h2>
<p>There are missed opportunities in this announcement. It offers access only to preschool for the year before school (generally children are aged four). But <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-shows-there-are-benefits-from-getting-more-three-year-olds-into-preschool-104416">evidence shows</a> the importance of two years of preschool before school. </p>
<p>Australia <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-shows-there-are-benefits-from-getting-more-three-year-olds-into-preschool-104416">lags behind other OECD countries</a> in universal access to quality early childhood programs for three-year-old children. </p>
<p>United States President <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/28/joe-biden-american-families-plan-childcare-community-college">Joe Biden has just announced </a> he will invest billions in universal preschool for three and four-year-olds. </p>
<p>Some Australian state governments were developing plans for free access to preschool education for some three year olds before the budget announcement. <a href="https://thesector.com.au/2019/02/04/community-preschools-in-nsw-welcome-3-year-olds-to-start-the-new-school-year/">Preschool is free</a> for three-year-olds attending community-run preschools in New South Wales. <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/three-year-old-kinder.aspx">Victoria committed nearly $5 billion over ten years</a> from 2020 towards three-year-old kindergarten. The <a href="https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1620347/Early-Childhood-Strategy-for-the-ACT.pdf">ACT moved towards two years of free preschool</a> over five years from 2020.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-all-children-but-not-all-children-get-it-heres-what-the-government-can-do-about-that-117660">Preschool benefits all children, but not all children get it. Here's what the government can do about that</a>
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</em>
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<p>Many <a href="https://thrivebyfive.org.au/news/21-22pre-budgetsubmission/">Australian advocates</a> say this budget does not go far enough and universal access to quality early childhood programs for all young Australian children should be the goal. </p>
<p>While it is a welcome move to add funding to a sector crying out to be assisted there are many questions to be asked and explained as we move forward. Let’s work through that detail and make sure it is what is best for young children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160790/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lennie Barblett receives research funding from ACECQA. I am member of Early Childhood Australia.</span></em></p>The 2021-22 budget includes funding for 15 hours per week of free preschool education for all children in the year before school. This is great, but we need more detail.Lennie Barblett, Associate Professor, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1596262021-05-11T16:03:24Z2021-05-11T16:03:24ZOttawa’s $10-a-day child care promise should heed Québec’s insights about balancing low fees with high quality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399868/original/file-20210510-15-150r5pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C341%2C3028%2C1943&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In Québec, the biggest child care provider by far is schools. Here, children raise their hands at a care centre in Montréal in August 2006. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> CP PHOTO/Ian Barrett</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New research from the University of Toronto captures how <a href="https://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.32.188">parents struggle to find a child care provider</a> they feel comfortable with and can afford. Unless awarded a scarce fee subsidy, <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Publications/TELCCS_REPORT.pdf">low-income families are priced out of government-regulated child care</a>.</p>
<p>Those paying market fees <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/features/analysis-daycare-fees-continue-to-rise-across-canada-1.3940099">would find it cheaper to send their toddlers to university</a>. Child care expenses <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2018001/article/54976-eng.htm">are a factor in why young adults in Canada are having fewer children</a>, a trend <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/with-falling-birth-rates-worries-mount-that-pandemic-deferred-pregnancies-could-affect-everything-from-immigration-to-health-care">with serious social and economic implications</a>.</p>
<p>COVID-19 underscored what women knew all along. Faced with few viable options, <a href="https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/canadian-women-continue-to-exit-the-labour-force/">mothers ended up exiting the workforce</a>. Small wonder that <a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/home-accueil-en.html">the recent federal budget</a> focused on reducing fees when describing its early learning and child care plans. </p>
<p>Ottawa’s plan to cut costs in half by next year, with the promise of <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/budget-2021-the-liberals-massive-historic-very-costly-bet-on-childcare/">$10-a-day child care fees within five years</a>, throws a lifeline to <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/child-care-deserts-canada">thousands of households</a>. </p>
<p>The federal government’s goals are <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/04/budget-2021-a-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-plan.html">inspired by Québec’s 20-year experience with low-cost child care</a>, referencing it as a model for the rest of the country. </p>
<p>Yet Québec child care is about more than low fees. </p>
<p>As a researcher who <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Publications/QCProfile.pdf">has examined Québec’s early learning and care</a> and the need for Canada <a href="http://ecereport.ca/en/">to invest in early childhood education</a>, I believe as Canada’s other provinces and territories develop their early learning and care plans, they should be aware of the unintended consequences of inexpensive child care — and the pitfalls of taking shortcuts.</p>
<h2>No single ‘Québec model’</h2>
<p>There is no single “Québec model.” There are three. The biggest child care provider by far is schools. Authorities are required to offer before- and after- school care for four to 12-year-olds. Over 370,000 children participated in school-delivered child care before the pandemic disrupted attendance.</p>
<p>The second single biggest group are the publicly managed <a href="https://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/fr/services-de-garde/parents/types/centres-petite-enfance/Pages/index.aspx"><em>centres de la petite enfance</em> (CPE)</a> (early childhood centres). Operated by parent-dominated boards, these centres enrol infants to preschoolers. </p>
<p>CPEs are entirely publicly funded, except for a government established <a href="https://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/en/services-de-garde/Pages/index.aspx">daily fee of $8.35 paid by parents</a>. <a href="https://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/fr/publication/Documents/taux-et-echelles-de-salaires-personnes-salariees.pdf">A wage scale</a> provides educators with a living wage, plus benefits and a <a href="http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/E-12.011">pension plan</a> — rare perks for those working in child care. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-covid-19-child-care-plan-must-start-with-investing-in-early-childhood-educators-157553">Canada's COVID-19 child-care plan must start with investing in early childhood educators</a>
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<p>Spaces in CPEs are very much in demand but enrolment numbers have stagnanted in recent years to about 98,000 children. </p>
<p>The third group are private providers. These are a mix of commercial and non-profit operators, in addition to self-employed people who deliver child care out of their homes. All are licensed to serve children before they enter kindergarten. A subgroup of “subsidized” operators receive government funding in exchange for charging parents the $8.35 daily fee. </p>
<p>Among the private group, the fastest growing arm are the unsubsidized centres, with over 70,000 spaces. These set their own wages and market fees, but generous tax credits reimburse parents for most costs. Almost a third of Québec’s <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Publications/QCProfile.pdf">more-than-$4.2 billion early learning and child care budget goes out in tax credits</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children standing on playground bridge." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399888/original/file-20210510-15-1g1snq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">‘Centres de la petite enfance’ enrol infants to preschoolers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Preference for non-profit providers</h2>
<p>Over the years, <a href="https://inroadsjournal.ca/quebecs-childcare-program-20-2/">private centres gained a reputation for poor quality</a>. Learning from Québec, the federal government has <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawas-squeeze-play-to-get-all-provinces-into-its-child-care-plan/">ruled out tax measures or direct payments to parents to reduce fees</a> and has indicated a bias for non-profit providers.</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://inroadsjournal.ca/quebecs-childcare-program-20-2/">researchers blame the hyper demand from parents for low-cost care</a> for the evolution of Québec’s fragmented early childhood services. </p>
<p>Reducing the cost of care is a critical goal, but a low fee for parents doesn’t necessarily translate into an enriching experience for children. </p>
<p>Fee reductions must be partnered with interventions to promote quality. Québec has had to responded <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-study-shows-many-quebec-daycares-are-failing-our-kids">to charges of poor quality</a> early learning and care, the <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2020/10/08/quebecs-auditor-general-flags-daycare-shortage-lack-of-access-to-family-doctors/">jumping of waitlists</a> into choice spots <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-moves-to-tighten-rules-for-private-daycare/article1216169/">and even patronage</a> in the awarding of contracts for new centres. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/S-4.1.1">amended child care legislation</a> now requires all providers to adopt an updated curriculum and document children’s progress. Inspections are more frequent and go beyond basic health and safety checks to observe how educators interact with children and provide feedback for improvement. Results are publicly posted. To tackle access bias, operators are required to enrol only those at the top of a government-administered, online registration site. Cross-sector committees advise the ministry on where new centres will be placed. </p>
<h2>Expansion through schoools</h2>
<p>More recently, Québec’s government is showing a preference for expanding early learning and care through its schools, rather than by priming the child care market with payments to parents. New policy requires all schools to provide <a href="https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/kindergarten">kindergarten</a> for all four-year-olds by 2023, with the choice of before- and after- care for working parents.</p>
<p><a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/pre-kindergarten-in-quebec-expands-to-more-schools-1.3958397">Pre-kindergarten offers small classes</a> taught by a teacher with a preschool speciality, supported by an early childhood educator. Over the past year, despite the pandemic, Québec opened 995 new pre-kindergarten classes, almost meeting its 1,010 target. </p>
<p>In contrast, deficiencies in child care are difficult to rectify. The government’s goal of creating 13,500 subsidized spaces by next year is stalled at 2,500. To bump production it is <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-wants-to-get-rid-of-red-tape-to-free-up-more-daycare-spaces-1.5344677">going after the “red tape”</a> originally put in place to provide transparency.</p>
<p><a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2020/10/08/quebecs-auditor-general-flags-daycare-shortage-lack-of-access-to-family-doctors/">A report by the province’s auditor general</a> finds 46,000 families looking for care, many of them low-income, while operators skirt their legal obligation to enrol children on the centralized waitlist. </p>
<p>Of Québec’s three child care streams, expanding through schools is proving to be effective as well as efficient. Any government looking to build good early learning and care should take a closer look.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159626/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerry McCuaig receives funding from Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, the Lawson Foundation, the Atkinson Foundation, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto. </span></em></p>As provinces and territories beyond Québec develop early learning and care plans, they should be aware of the pitfalls of taking shortcuts in response to parent demand.Kerry McCuaig, Fellow in Early Childhood Policy, Atkinson Centre, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1548072021-04-01T18:47:32Z2021-04-01T18:47:32Z6 ways to teach kindergarten kids to deal with stress during COVID-19, whether learning online or at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392920/original/file-20210331-13-1bnod32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=82%2C57%2C5409%2C3696&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With some kindergarten children now participating in online learning, questions persist about how they will learn the competencies needed to help them flourish both socially and academically.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been anxiously waiting for it to end. While managing uncertainty and lockdowns, school boards have had to transition from in-person and classroom settings to offer <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/">online learning</a>. </p>
<p>In this past difficult year, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/covid-19-pandemic-stress-depression-jennifer-moss-1.5628852">stress levels in many people</a> have <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/covid-continues-take-heavy-toll-canadians-mental-health">increased</a>. Supporting children’s self-regulation is one focus of kindergarten education, including
<a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/wellbeing.html">Ontario’s full-day kindergarten</a>. </p>
<p>Self-regulation is how we manage the everyday stressors of life including all our energy and emotions. Developing self-regulation <a href="http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesKIN/Video/Guides/ELK-VideoGuide_SelfReg.pdf">is central to a child’s capacity to learn</a> and is critical for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3204_2">both social relationships and academic knowledge in years to come</a>.</p>
<p>For children enrolled both in online kindergarten or in-person learning due to the pandemic, the need to continue to learn self-regulation has never been more important</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child holds a picture book in front of a computer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C278%2C5955%2C3700&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392901/original/file-20210331-17-k31u1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children enrolled in both online and in-person kindergarten learning will benefit when trusted adults help them learn how to regulate their feelings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shuttertstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>In the classroom</h2>
<p>As a doctoral researcher specializing in self-regulation in kindergarten, I think of the many children who rely on the school environment to thrive. I am examining how teachers can promote self-regulation in Ontario kindergarten classrooms when they document various steps in a child’s play-based learning. </p>
<p>Documentation involves gathering children’s learning from multiple artefacts (such as notes, observations, photos, videos, voice recordings, work samples and interactions with children). Educators then analyze and interpret these artifacts in collaboration with children, parents and family members <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.05.003">to gain insight to determine next steps for learning</a>.
This process is <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_pedagogical.pdf">known as pedagogical documentation</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kindergarten-scrapbooks-arent-just-your-childs-keepsake-theyre-central-to-learning-117066">Kindergarten scrapbooks aren't just your child's keepsake — they're central to learning</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Educators <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016/self-regulation-and-well-being">support self-regulation</a> in many ways in the classroom. Educators might provide a quiet space for children to be in if they need to get away from the crowded or noisy environment; they may lead children in grounding practices like deep breathing or other use other creative strategies tailored to their particular class. Their support for children’s self-regulation is also seen when they support <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016/play-based-learning-culture-inquiry">children’s play-based learning</a> including documenting children’s play-based inquiries — what interests children, and how they are processing questions and ideas.</p>
<p>Each classroom is unique with children who experience different stressors. Documenting children’s inquiries helps educators to understand each child.<br>
This, in turn, allows them to help children with their self-regulating abilities. Adjustments can be made to the environment through attention to factors like lighting and classroom organization, or helping the child directly. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-team-approach-makes-full-day-kindergarten-a-success-113339">A team approach makes full-day kindergarten a success</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Janette Pelletier, a professor of applied psychology and human development, looked at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-gain-learning-boost-from-two-year-full-day-kindergarten-79549">impact on full-day kindergarten versus half-day kindergarten</a>; her research found that children in full-day kindergarten were more able to self-regulate compared to those in half-day kindergarten.</p>
<h2>6 critical elements</h2>
<p>Stuart Shanker, professor emeritus of philosophy and psychology at York University, is one of Canada’s leading experts and seminal authors on the <a href="https://self-reg.ca/">topic of self-regulation</a>. He has identified six critical elements that can be helpful for both children and adults:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When one is feeling calmly focused and alert, the ability to know that one is calm and alert.</p></li>
<li><p>When one is stressed, the ability to recognize what is causing that stress.</p></li>
<li><p>The ability to recognize stressors both within and outside the classroom (or current environment).</p></li>
<li><p>The desire to deal with those stressors.</p></li>
<li><p>The ability to develop strategies for dealing with those stressors.</p></li>
<li><p>The ability to recover efficiently and effectively from dealing with those stressors.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother and child putting face masks on." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392902/original/file-20210331-19-1gokdnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Learning how to regulate stress means both recognizing what is causing stress and how to develop strategies to deal with it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>When kindergarten is online</h2>
<p>These six critical elements have been adapted in many kindergarten classrooms.
However, with some kindergarten children enrolled in online learning, questions arise about how to support children during these unprecedented times.</p>
<p>The story of the child who cried <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/25/us/covid-distance-learning-frustration-trnd/index.html">during online learning went viral</a>. We also heard about the teacher who was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ontario-online-learning-january-1.5862211">overly stressed and felt like a failure</a>. Beyond this, some parents are juggling to put food on the table and to support their children while working from home.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, there can be many stressors hindering children from learning. These may include the noise level in the home, difficulty accessing the internet, sensitivity to light and prolonged screen time or not having enough space in their learning area. </p>
<p>Being perceptive to supporting children’s self regulation means if such stressors are identified early, efforts can be made to respond. For example, parents could mitigate issues with noise by giving the child headphones to connect more directly with the teacher and peers online, or a quiet space to aid their learning.</p>
<h2>Parents’ self-regulation</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316404/self-reg-by-dr-stuart-shanker/"><em>Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child and You Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life</em></a>, Shanker writes that how a parent regulates their own emotions and stressors is an invitation for a child: children are vulnerable to negative emotions that can drain their energy. Sometimes, it can be difficult or impossible for the child to become calm: when a child’s “emotional brakes” wear out, they can no longer get themselves to stop. When this happens at home (for instance, during an online class), children may express negative emotions. </p>
<p>Each child may require different strategies to manage their stress level. <a href="https://self-reg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/1_4_Domain_Stress_Examples_V2.pdf">Stress is communicated</a> through facial expressions, actions and tone of voice. Some might want a massage, a bath, music, drawing, outdoor time or may need to sleep in a calm environment. When children express negative emotions — what may otherwise be seen as acting out — adults are encouraged to look at children’s stress levels rather than seeing a behavioural issue. If adults approach the situation wrongly by giving a “time out,” or punishments, this may increase children’s stress.</p>
<h2>Other tips to support children</h2>
<p>Give your children a chance to reflect through writing, drawing or speaking at school and home. It is important to remember that self-regulation does not happen overnight. </p>
<p>Self-regulation takes practice and is a process.</p>
<p>For both parents and teachers, it is essential to listen to children and be the external regulator for them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154807/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Niluja Muralitharan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many kindergarten classrooms draw on six principles for helping children to manage the everyday stressors of life, and parents can too.Niluja Muralitharan, PhD Student, Education, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1570952021-03-29T16:10:38Z2021-03-29T16:10:38Z‘Generation C’: Why investing in early childhood is critical after COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391845/original/file-20210325-21-12hbffc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C121%2C6221%2C4007&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">COVID-19 has led to global shut-downs which have rattled economies and families and will affect children for years to come. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Conversations are beginning <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/meet-gen-c-the-covid-19-generation-1.5343747">about Generation C, the COVID-19 kids</a>. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/us/covid-generation-gen-c/index.html">While exactly which ages should be included in this generational label</a> is under debate, what’s clear to researchers of child development is that COVID-19 has led to global shutdowns that have rattled economies, communities and families, and will affect children for years to come.</p>
<p>UNICEF reports the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of children and their families around the world, and <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/across-virtually-every-key-measure-childhood-progress-has-gone-backward-unicef-says">that across virtually every key measure of childhood, progress has gone backward</a>. The number of children who <a href="https://www.breakfastclubcanada.org/covid-impacts/">are hungry</a>, isolated, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7414689/child-abuse-concerns-higher-during-covid-19-pandemic/">abused</a>, anxious and <a href="https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1165-supporting-families-and-children-beyond-covid-19-social-protection-in-high-income-countries.html">living in poverty</a> has increased. Children’s access to <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-strategies-to-support-vulnerable-students-when-schools-reopen-after-coronavirus-136201">learning environments, socialization</a>, essential services, health, nutrition and protection has decreased. </p>
<p>More and more, we will see <a href="https://babylab.brookes.ac.uk/research/social-distancing-and-development">the impact of social isolation, the loss social skill development</a> and trauma on young children. Some children will bear the scars of the pandemic for years to come. Addressing those scars, especially for our more vulnerable and at-risk children, is an urgent priority. Access to high-quality early childhood education and kindergarten is not the singular solution to these problems, but is a cornerstone.</p>
<h2>Invest now for lifelong gains</h2>
<p>When children receive quality <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-quality-early-childhood-education-reduces-need-for-later-special-ed-112275">early childhood education — quality learning from birth to about age five — this pre-emptively lessens the need for later special education</a> and lowers the intensity of support required. </p>
<p>Two years ago, colleagues and I demonstrated a correlation between the dominant benefits of early childhood education: boosted literacy/numeracy, language skills and social/behavioural regulation, especially for children with low socio-economic status. We published <a href="https://research.library.mun.ca/13571/">new research</a> that identified 60 per cent of students enrolled in special education are there due to lags in these aforementioned areas.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-school-closures-could-widen-inequities-for-our-youngest-students-136669">Coronavirus school closures could widen inequities for our youngest students</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>This research inspired a special edition of <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/issue/view/1054"><em>Exceptionality Education International</em></a>, which featured nine academic articles exploring the impact of early childhood education on special education. </p>
<p>The research was significant for ministries of education attempting to deal with growing special education budgets and abysmal outcomes for children enrolled in it. Today, in light of the pandemic, politicians, business leaders, educators and economists have a renewed interest and motivation to respond by advocating for and investing in the benefits of quality early childhood education. </p>
<h2>Canada: Child-care strategy</h2>
<p>In Canada, the impact of COVID-19 continues to reverberate. Mothers are <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00091-eng.htm">bearing a disproportionate burden</a> as the damage to their careers becomes a growing economic concern. <a href="https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/pandemic-threatens-decades-of-womens-labour-force-gains/">An RBC report found that the employment rate for mothers</a> has fallen to its lowest level in over three decades due to their loss of child care and the resultant need to become home teachers and child-care providers.</p>
<p>The COVID-19 economic crisis has exposed the fragility of the patchwork quilt of fractured child care. This month, Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and finance minister, announced a <a href="https://deputypm.canada.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/03/08/government-announces-members-new-task-force-women-economy">Task Force on Women in the Economy</a> to explore the impact of COVID-19 on women’s careers, including the need for a more stable child-care sector. The <a href="https://www.chatelaine.com/news/task-force-women-economy-canada/">task force begins</a> as the federal government’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories.html">Early Learning and Care Bilateral Agreements</a> are about to expire, and negotiations with the provinces and territories for their renewal resume. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-budget-coming-question-period-1.5960695">Canada’s upcoming federal budget</a> is an opportunity to direct needed investments to quality early child care and education. Collectively, we have a chance to balance capacity with quality and create an <a href="https://earlyyearsstudy.ca/eceforcanada/introduction/">informed national model of child care</a> that meets families’ needs. Research on renewed economic arguments for quality early childhood education can help direct this. </p>
<h2>Renewed economic arguments</h2>
<p>My 2019 report cited studies in the <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/article/view/9385">United Kingdom identifying that quality early education can lower enrolment in special education between 40 to 55 per cent</a>. A similar study in Ontario found that <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/eei/article/view/9386">children without high-quality early education were three times more likely to require special supports</a> for behaviour, one and a half times more likely to require language supports and twice as likely to require reading supports. </p>
<p>While these rates will not lead to a parallel reduction in special education budgets, due to the higher costs of students with more complex needs, the potential for savings is significant. This research is now receiving the attention of top economists in Canada.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/child-care-after-the-coronavirus-pandemic-should-be-more-inclusive-of-children-with-disabilities-141172">Child care after the coronavirus pandemic should be more inclusive of children with disabilities</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two toddlers playing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391852/original/file-20210325-13-1p8iu0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canada has a chance to create quality national childcare.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Importance of kindergarten</h2>
<p>A recent economic report on <a href="https://www.etfo.ca/AboutETFO/Publications/PositionPapers/PositionPapersDocuments/Ontario%27s%20Kindergarten%20Program%20a%20Success%20Story%20-%20Full%20Report,.pdf">Ontario’s two-year kindergarten program</a> published by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario discussed the impact of quality early childhood education on special education. Economists argued that early supports for child development through a strong two-year early learning program will save significant money by limiting special education enrolment and altering the trajectories of vulnerable and at-risk children.</p>
<p>A failure to alter the life trajectories of vulnerable and at-risk children is well researched in Canada. Research from The Conference Board of Canada presents a solid argument for the lost income, lower tax base and high draws on social programs across a life span <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/temp/e2ba0188-fc22-40ff-8cd7-da92f93cf253/9231_Ready-for-Life_RPT.pdf">for vulnerable children who don’t attain optimal education levels</a>. </p>
<p>Reducing enrolment in special education means more students exit school with the marks, skills and confidence to pursue post-secondary education. I participated in research with economists with Deloitte who are expanding on this argument for investing in early childhood education with a particular look at the ability to lower special education costs. Deloitte explored significant budgets for special education in three provinces (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and British Columbia) and <a href="http://mwmccain.ca/reports/2021/03/26/early-learning-and-childcare-key-economic-infrastructure/">identified an opportunity to reclaim millions of dollars</a> that can be proactively reinvested in early child care and education.</p>
<h2>International evidence</h2>
<p>Internationally, evidence is mounting for this economic argument of reclaiming and redirecting special education budgets towards renewed investments in quality early childhood education. This doesn’t mean sudden cuts to special education, but rather investing in early years now to see improved outcomes for the most vulnerable children and eventual cost savings in special education.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scotlands-outdoor-play-initiative-has-some-lessons-for-the-rest-of-the-world-132429">Scotland’s outdoor play initiative has some lessons for the rest of the world</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A <a href="https://www.telethonkids.org.au/projects/HPER/how-aus-can-invest-in-children-and-return-more/">recent Australian study</a> argued that without quality early learning we are spending significant money on ineffective late-stage interventions. Researchers posit that this failure to intervene at an early stage allows these initial learning needs to disrupt development and escalate. </p>
<p>While Canada reels from the effects of COVID-19, discussions on the critical importance of the early years and the entire Generation C are growing. The year 2021 is indeed a call to action. That action has to be informed as much by the recent experience of families in Canada as by the mounting economic evidence for wise, proactive fiscal investments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157095/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Philpott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Particularly after the devastation of COVID-19, evidence is mounting for the economic argument of reinvesting in high-quality early childhood education.David Philpott, Professor, Special Education, Memorial University of NewfoundlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1552182021-02-21T19:07:21Z2021-02-21T19:07:21ZFamilies in eastern states pay around twice as much for preschool than the rest of Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385220/original/file-20210219-12-18wysgx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/nursery-children-playing-teacher-classroom-1247434123">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many families in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales have been paying around double what families in other states and territories pay for preschool.</p>
<p>Median out of pocket costs for preschool, per hour, range from A$2.82 to $3.82 in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Yet in the Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, average hourly fees range between 84 cents and $1.70.</p>
<p>We mapped the variation in preschool policies, and how they impact on what families pay as well as participation rates, across all states and territories. <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/stepping-up-securing-the-long-term-future-of-preschool-mitchell-institute-policy-briefing.pdf">Our report</a> shows access to preschool education in Australia varies, depending on where children live. </p>
<h2>What preschool costs across Australia</h2>
<p>Australian governments recognise the <a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-children-and-the-economy-but-the-budget-has-left-funding-uncertain-again-147737">importance of one year of preschool</a> the year before school for a child’s educational journey. This is why the federal, state and territory governments co-operatively co-fund one year of preschool.</p>
<p>This arrangement has achieved high levels of enrolment in preschool in the year before school — nearly nine in ten children are enrolled nationally. But our analysis shows a substantial variation in costs to families across the country. </p>
<p>And nationally, enrolments are trending down. A recent Productivity Commission report shows participation in preschool in the year before school has <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2021/child-care-education-and-training/early-childhood-education-and-care">declined over the past four years</a> — from 92.4% of all children in 2016 to 87.7% in 2019.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-have-funded-preschool-for-2021-its-shaping-up-to-be-a-federal-election-issue-149905">Victoria and NSW have funded preschool for 2021. It's shaping up to be a federal election issue</a>
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<p>This has bucked the trend of growth from around 70% of children in 2008 to more than 90% in 2016-17.</p>
<p>Some of the states with the highest fees have also seen the largest drop in enrolments. For instance, 2019 median fees in Victoria were $2.75 per hour for preschool the year before school. Enrolment rates in Victoria dropped from 98.4% in 2016 to to 87.8% in 2019. </p>
<p>Median per hour fees in Queensland were $2.78 in 2019. Queensland enrolments in the year before school are down from 93.8% in 2016 to 84.8% 2019.</p>
<p>Enrolment rates have fluctuated somewhat, but remained fairly steady in Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT and NT. </p>
<p>Enrolment rates in preschool aren’t only affected by fees. Whether families send their child to preschool can depend on affordability, the number and type of facilities available, cultural values, distance and the family’s socioeconomic circumstances.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young boy pointing to something, while holding his fathers hand. They're standing in front of a lake." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385186/original/file-20210219-18-9u1cho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Federal and state governments have acknowledge the importance of preschool the year before school for a child’s educational development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-boy-showing-his-father-something-160082876">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>For example, the ACT had the highest enrolment rates for three-year-old preschool (that’s two years of preschool before school) in 2019 (71.3%) even though the median cost of three-year-old preschool is the highest out of all states and territories. </p>
<p>Participation rates are still lower among disadvantaged cohorts that would benefit most from preschool education.</p>
<p>In 2019, children experiencing disability, those living in remote and regional areas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were all slightly less likely to be enrolled in preschool compared with the national average.</p>
<p>A big reason for the inconsistency across Australia is the lack of funding stability and commitment from all levels of government to consolidate and build on our gains for one year of preschool, and continuing to strive for two years for every Australian child. </p>
<h2>Three and four-year-old preschool funded differently</h2>
<p>Fees for programs for three-year-old preschool frequently run into thousands of dollars per year, per child.</p>
<p>Enrolment rates in preschool two years before school are much lower than the year before school. <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2021/child-care-education-and-training/early-childhood-education-and-care#downloads">Nationally, they are at around 50-60%</a>, but are increasing. </p>
<p>There’s no national funding model to support three-year-old preschool. <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/-120-million-extra-for-free-preschool-program-to-help-parents#:%7E:text=The%20NSW%20Government%20has%20announced,and%20mobile%20preschools%20in%202021.&text=The%20funding%20announcement%20will%20help,year%2Dolds%20attending%20community%20preschool.">NSW</a> and <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/three-year-old-kinder.aspx">Victoria</a> have recently started funding three-year-old preschool. The <a href="https://www.education.act.gov.au/early-childhood/early-education-for-three-year-olds">Australian Capital Territory</a> has plans to do the same. Other states and territories provide very limited access to a second year of preschool, often costing families thousands of dollars per year.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-leaving-in-droves-here-are-3-ways-to-keep-them-and-attract-more-153187">Early childhood educators are leaving in droves. Here are 3 ways to keep them, and attract more</a>
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<p>Median out of pocket costs per hour are around $2.90 in Tasmania and Queensland. They can go up to $4-5.44 per hour in WA and ACT.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that while per hour fees may sound reasonable, annual fees can be several thousand dollars per year for around six hours per week. </p>
<p>A lack of coordinated approach, and high fees for many families, mean many children are missing out on an important second year of <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-learn-through-play-it-shouldnt-stop-at-preschool-126921">structured, play-based learning</a> before school.</p>
<h2>What does this mean?</h2>
<p>Around one-fifth of Australian children <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2018-aedc-national-report">start school developmentally vulnerable</a>, and <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/educational-opportunity/educational-opportunity-2020-landmark-study-reveals-entrenched-educational-inequality">many struggle</a> to thrive in school and life.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Kid's feet on hopscotch grid." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385225/original/file-20210219-15-13y2qhd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Preschool has a play-based curriculum.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-little-boys-legs-hopscotch-drawn-778050412">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Children attending a high quality preschool program participate in a play-based curriculum that supports their <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091411">well-being</a>, <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2018-03/apo-nid176266.pdf">development</a> and <a href="https://heckmanequation.org/resource/early-childhood-education/">learning</a>, helping to set them up for the best start. </p>
<p>So even a small backwards step in participation in preschool is a concern — and that’s what we’re seeing.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-childhood-education/preschool-two-years-are-better-than-one">Research</a> has clearly shown two years of preschool are more beneficial than one, and that the benefits are likely to be largest for disadvantaged children.</p>
<p>There are also likely to be substantial economic returns from a national policy supporting two years of preschool. <a href="https://www.thefrontproject.org.au/economic-analysis">Australian research</a> shows that for every dollar invested in preschool, two dollars are returned into the economy.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/report-finds-every-1-australia-spends-on-preschool-will-return-2-but-this-wont-just-magically-happen-120217">Report finds every $1 Australia spends on preschool will return $2, but this won't just magically happen</a>
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<p><a href="https://heckmanequation.org/resource/the-rate-of-return-to-the-highscope-perry-preschool-program/">International research</a> suggests these returns could be higher for the most disadvantaged children.</p>
<p>We now have a situation where cost, access and policy ambition vary wildly across the country.</p>
<p>Victoria’s recent funding boosts, offering <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/funding/free-kinder-2021.pdf">free preschool for most children in 2021</a> and introducing permanent subsidies for <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/professionals/profdev/information-for-parents.pdf">three-year-old preschool</a>, will likely increase enrolment in that state. But that’s still inconsistent nationally.</p>
<p>We have some clear options on the table to improve affordability, consistency, quality and participation.</p>
<p>The Australian government’s <a href="http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Reports%20and%20publications/UANP%20Review%20Report.pdf">review of preschool delivery arrangements</a>] provides some <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/122765-its-time-to-commit-to-universal-access-to-preschools-and-funding-certainty-children-families-business-and-government-all-benefit/">decisive recommendations</a>, which the government has now been sitting on for more than a year. They include modelling the most efficient means of delivery, addressing workforce shortages, and more secure long-term funding. </p>
<p>When the funding agreement is next renegotiated, these recommendations should be implemented to secure the future of high quality preschool for all Australian children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155218/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Mitchell Institute receives funding from the Minderoo Foundation, which has partly funded this work. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Mitchell Institute receives funding from the Minderoo Foundation, which has partially funded this work. </span></em></p>Researchers mapped the variation in preschool policies, and how they impact on what families pay, across all states and territories. Some places charge much higher fees than others.Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversitySarah Pilcher, Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.