Early childhood education

College seeks clarification regarding early learning report

The Ontario College of Teachers is seeking more information about how the provincial government intends to implement the recommendations of a report on early learning by former Deputy Minister of Education Charles Pascal.

With Our Best Future in Mind – Implementing Early Learning in Ontario recommends a seamless, full-service approach to childcare and early learning.

“The Pascal report is fundamentally about turning theory about early childhood learning into practice to benefit our youngest students,” said College Chair Liz Papadopoulos. “Teachers – members of our College – are uniquely qualified through professional preparation in Bachelor of Education and Additional Qualification courses to help children in a school setting begin their journey of lifelong learning.”

In a letter to Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, Papadopoulos said, “Research clearly shows that early learning creates better outcomes for children and benefits society as a whole. That is why the College has recently revised its Additional Qualification schedules for certified teachers to move kindergarten from a single-session course to a three-part specialist course. Increasing and deepening the knowledge of Ontario’s licensed, qualified teachers will serve Ontario’s children better.

“There are, however, fundamental questions about the proposed program that require clarification. For example, the report proposes a staffing combination of certified teachers and early childhood educators during school hours. It would be helpful for us to understand specifically what this blended model would look like.”

The Chair said that Council would be interested in further discussion following the Minister’s analysis of the report.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty moved quickly to commit $500,000 in start-up money to support the plan to help children and families by merging daycare and kindergarten.

Under Pascal’s proposal, every Ontario child who turns four by December 31 would – subject to parental choice – attend two years of the full-day, school-year Early Learning Program operated by school boards. Boards would be expected to provide extended before and after-school programming, including arts and sports.

Pascal envisages a “single program with a single pedagogical and curriculum approach planned and delivered by qualified educators using common space and resources.” And he recommends that school boards organize staffing to promote full-time jobs for early childhood educators (ECEs), who would hold a unique classification.

The report recommends that the new system be developed under an early years policy framework and be led by a new early years division in the Ministry of Education. Pascal estimated incremental staff and operational costs ranging from $790 to $990 million, split between staffing ($430 million) and operating costs ($360–$560 million).

An annual $130 million would also be required for capital to construct or modify buildings to accommodate the program.

Among its recommendations, the report suggests that:

 Teams of certified teachers and registered ECEs should staff the Early Learning Program, and school boards should organize staffing to promote full-time employment for ECEs. “Local flexibility should be possible, but two non-negotiable essentials must always be included: educators skilled at applying child development knowledge and a strong and effective parent engagement strategy.”

 The Ontario College of Teachers should require all teachers who do not have early childhood knowledge to complete an early childhood Additional Qualification course (or equivalent) within five years to hold a position in the Early Learning Program.

 The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, in consultation with the Minister of Education should establish an early childhood specialty degree program focusing on children up to eight years old.

Pascal notes that the Early Learning Program “is not the school day with ‘wraparound childcare,’ where children go back and forth between two distinct programs with different adults two to four times daily.

“Best Start (launched in 2004 and aimed at co-ordinating community services) laid the groundwork for what I am proposing, but real systematic change needs more than resources and goodwill. Without fundamentally changing the approach to delivery and doing the re-engineering required to integrate services into something new, Ontario will be stalled at the level of ‘improving co-ordination.’ To invest in more improved co-ordination would be the enemy of the real change required.”