All-day kindergarten will create an even better foundation of learning for children, says a kindergarten teacher at Ladner Elementary.
Having over 20 years of teaching experience, including the last six at Ladner Elementary, Jacqueline Loewen is excited to be teaching another all-day kindergarten class.
"That's what kindergarten is, to really learn the routines and basic concepts that are the foundation of numbers, the foundations for reading and writing. They also learn a lot of their social base, where they learn to get along with others, cooperate and follow routines and share," Loewen told the Optimist as she prepared her classroom last week.
All-day kindergarten was introduced last year at selected schools, including Ladner Elementary. This year it's available districtwide.
Loewen said there isn't much difference from the structured playbased learning that had been part of the half-day curriculum, but having a full-day program enables teachers to do everything from the old program, which didn't seem to fit with the old time constraints.
"The gift that we have now is that we have the time to work through the curriculum in depth. There's still a lot of things that are hard to fit in, because the curriculum is always so jam-packed full. So now we have time to really explore," she said.
Noting the feedback from parents about last year's allday program was positive, Loewen said play-based learning gives kids a chance to explore, experience and discover.
"It opens it up to using their imaginations, using their tools that are there for science. They're playing and manipulating different things for a number or a letter and it's very openended, so they can take it to the next level. There is some teaching involved, of course."
According to the Ministry of Education, full-day learning is associated with improved literacy and numeracy, smoother transitions to Grade 1 and increased post-secondary graduation rates.
Loewen said a misconception some parents have about the full-day program is an expectation their children will learn to read at the end of kindergarten.
"That's not the goal of kindergarten. I think they have a stronger base in which to learn and enhance their further learning. It's not part of the curriculum for the kids to learn to read, but if they do, that's the icing on the cake."
She said she was surprised last year how well her young students adjusted to being at school for a five-hour day, rather than two-and-ahalf, although some were a little tired by the end of the week. The classes, she noted, have "quiet times" for young students that help them adjust.
"It's not necessarily a nap time, because they're allowed to look at books and do quiet activities like drawing in a journal. It's just a relaxed down time that gets them ready for the rest of the afternoon."
She said by the end of the school year her kindergarten pupils also felt more connected to the school community because they got to be involved in more school activities.
A recently released study conducted for the B.C. Principals' and VicePrincipals' Association found the program last year was a success. However, some parents surveyed expressed concern about the transition to a longer school day.
Loewen noted she encourages parents to keep their kids in the kindergarten classes for the full day so that they enjoy the same benefits and feel connected with their class.
Ladner Elementary also has a StrongStart program, a half-day class for kids, including pre-schoolers, who attend with their parents.
