Happy Canada Day!

Today our younger neighbors to the north will be celebrating their nation’s birthday with parades and fireworks and maple-leaf flags. This year, kids in Ontario have something else to celebrate: the province is embarking on an ambitious strategy to expand early education access and better align child care, pre-k and elementary programs.

With Our Best Future in Mind, a new report commissioned by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and written by Early Learning Advisor Dr. Charles Pascal, maps out a major reorganization and expansion of early education services in the province. The report calls for expansion of full-day junior kindergarten (pre-k) and senior kindergarten classes (most are currently half-day programs). It also calls for Ontario to integrate day care for children up to age 4 , junior and senior kindergarten, and primary education from grades 1 through 6 in order to create a “continuum of services for children from birth to age 12.” It encourages early educators to develop a “common programming framework for all of Ontario’s early childhood settings,” so that children experience similar curriculum and quality standards regardless of where they are served. And it recommends expanded parental leave, quality child care, support programs for the youngest children, and optional extended day programs for school-age children. Most of these programs could go into effect as soon as 2010, but with a longer timeline for expanding parental leave: the move would require significant changes in legislation, which Pascal expects by 2020.

Ontario already has a high percentage of children enrolled in half-day early education classrooms. The most recent data available indicate that more than 80 percent of 4-year olds and 95 percent of 5-year-olds are enrolled in either private, Catholic, or provincial (public) programs. The proposals in With Our Best Future in Mind would increase the number of children in full-day programs: the goal is to enroll 227,000 more 4- and 5-year-olds in full-day junior or senior kindergarten programs. Programs would be offered in both public and community-based settings, though all would be located at or matched with a neighborhood public school, an approach that seeks to strengthen alignment between early childhood and primary schooling, and also reflects Pascal’s recommendation that schools become “hubs” for the community.

Despite the plan’s $1 billion price tag, a Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey shows that 71 percent of Ontario residents support a change from half to full-day learning in both junior and senior kindergarten. The majority of survey respondents in other provinces also supported the expansion of the program outside Ontario. McGuinty’s promise to spend $200 million on the program in 2010 and an additional $300 million by 2011 shows his commitment to education even in tough economic times. “It’s about investing in a stronger workforce and a more productive economy,” McGuinty said at press conference upon the release of the report on June 15. We couldn’t agree more.

Close readers of Early Ed Watch may remember the Rose Review, a similar report in England that also recommended increasing alignment by extending play through the early years. With Our Best Future in Mind also casts an eye toward the British Isles, citing the success of Britain’s Sure Start program after “the central government stepped up its consolidation of policies and infrastructure” in 2003, providing “integrated services to preschool children and their families, including preschool care and education, and a variety of parenting supports in a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach.”

The report also highlights examples of Ontario schools that have already implemented the types of reforms it recommends, such as the La Petit Prince elementary school in Ottawa. Le Petit Prince provides all-day kindergarten for 4- and 5-year-olds, taught by highly qualified professionals certified by the College of Early Childhood Educators and supported by a partnership with the social services provided by the municipality. With a “seamless program” that nurtures children’s growth and academic development as they move from grade to grade, La Petit Prince enables their students to “overcome difficult obstacles” and achieve at a high level by the end of third grade. The early childhood program is not only located in the same building as the local elementary school, it is also a part of same learning experience, with teachers answering to the same principal and using a curriculum aligned with grades 1-3.

U.S. policymakers should take note of Ontario’s move towards increased access to full-day pre-K and emphasis on alignment between pre-K and elementary curricula. Clear alignment between high-quality early childhood programs and the education system is especially important to at-risk children, who frequently suffer from developmental and emotional health issues. The experience of Montgomery County Schools in Maryland, which implemented a robust PreK-Third reform strategy in 1999, shows that aligned early education can close persistent achievement gaps. We’ll be keeping an eye on Ontario to see if the province-wide early childhood reform can also live up to its promises.