A report on phase two of
"The province's full-day early learning model hinges on a strong staff team of kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators," says principal researcher
Early directives from the Ministry of Education contain design flaws, which contradict the TFD research findings and the recommendations in the implementation report prepared for the government by
Implementation challenges include: - Government allocations for early childhood educators (ECEs) wages are insufficient and would mean a significant drop in salary for many ECEs, creating tensions within the working team and devaluing ECE professional skills; - Working conditions that discourage the development of a strong teaching team could threaten the play-based nature of the program that is so important in early learning environments for young children; - Offering extended day programming only during the 188 days that schools operate will create enormous challenges particularly for the 77% of Ontario families with both parents in the paid workforce; - A weak teaching team coupled with service hours that mitigate against integrated program delivery undermines parent engagement, an established factor in school success.
The report is available at: http://www.toronto.ca/firstduty/.
For further information: For further information: Trish Hennessy, (416) 525-4927
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