Fully implemented program will benefit 265,000 children: Ontario has fully rolled out its full-day kindergarten (FDK) program, making it available to 265,000 four- and five-year-olds in approximately 3,600 schools across the province.
By the end of the 2014-15 school year, almost half a million kids will have benefitted from FDK since it was first introduced in 2010. With more than $1.5 billion in funding to date, FDK is one of the most significant investments Ontario has made in education in a generation.
Overall, students in FDK are better prepared to enter Grade 1 and be more successful in school, as detailed in a recent study that compared students enrolled in full-day kindergarten with those in half-day programs.
Fully implementing full-day kindergarten is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up by investing in people, building modern infrastructure and supporting a dynamic and innovative business climate.
Quick Facts
- Studies show that a return on public investment in early learning is at least seven to one.
- Ontario families can save up to $6,500 per year in child care costs by enrolling their child in full-day kindergarten.
- Part of the $1.5 billion in funding for FDK has supported the creation of approximately 3,500 new kindergarten classrooms.
- About 3,800 additional teaching positions and more than 10,000 early childhood educator (ECE) positions have been created as a result of FDK.
Source: http://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2014/09/full-day-kindergarten-available-across-ontario.html
