Questions and Answers

Starting kindergarten is an exciting time for children and their families and is a wonderful opportunity to build a strong foundation for life-long learning.

For information about British Columbia’s new modular classrooms and school additions for full day kindergarten, see the Creating Learning Spaces for Full Day Kindergarten website or read the Learning Spaces Questions and Answers.

Why did the Province move to full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • Research shows that a high quality, play-based kindergarten program has long-term benefits for children’s academic and social skills and helps them to succeed in school and in life. Full day kindergarten is another step towards building a strong foundation for lifelong learning, in a nurturing, play-based environment.

    Full day learning is associated with improved literacy and numeracy, smoother transitions to Grade 1, and increased post-secondary graduation rates.

    Recognizing the importance of investing in early learning, British Columbia committed $365 million over three years to implement full day kindergarten for all eligible children by September 2011.

Where can I find information about the benefits of full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • The Early Childhood Learning Agency Report (PDF, 104KB) on the feasibility of expanding early learning in British Columbia provides information on the importance of quality kindergarten and pre-kindergarten, and includes research associated with these findings.

What children have access to full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • As of September 2011, all eligible children will have access to full day kindergarten in public schools. Information on student statistics is available here.

What if school districts do not have enough space for all their kindergarten students?Top of page.

  • The Ministry of Education expects schools to use surplus classrooms for kindergarten expansion. They are also expected to preserve StrongStart BC programs and existing child care programs that use school space, as these are also important to early learning.

    The Ministry is working closely with school districts to address the capital needs of full day kindergarten. Government has made an investment of more than $144 million and a six-step action plan to support the capital implementation of full day kindergarten in 2011. More information is available at: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010PREM0121-000700.htm.

    In some cases, new modular classrooms will provide space for full day kindergarten. The information bulletin is available at: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010EDUC0104-001032.htm.

What if school districts don’t have enough teachers for full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • The Ministry and the British Columbia Public School Employers’ through Make A Future are working together to provide support and tools to help meet recruitment needs.

How is full day kindergarten funded?Top of page.

  • Boards of education and independent schools are funded based on their kindergarten enrolment.

    In the public system, boards of education receive a certain amount of funding for each student, known as the basic allocation. In the 2010/11 school year, boards will receive the full basic allocation for those students attending full day kindergarten. Additional funding is also provided to Boards of Education and Independent Schools to support children with unique needs (e.g. children with low incidence special needs, English as second language and Aboriginal students.)

    Government has committed $365 million over three years to implement full day kindergarten for all five-year-olds in British Columbia.

    The Ministry has provided funding to districts to address the need for resources such as furniture and equipment, in classrooms that have not been used for kindergarten before.

When are children eligible for kindergarten in British Columbia?Top of page.

  • Children who reach their 5th birthday within a calendar year are eligible to enrol in kindergarten in September of that year. For example, a child whose 5th birthday is between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, can enrol in September 2011 in kindergarten.

How do parents sign up their children for kindergarten?Top of page.

  • Normally kindergarten registration begins in January or February for the following September. Parents/caregivers should contact their local boards of education or independent school authority for registration information.

    A child may be registered to attend kindergarten in September if his or her 5th birthday occurs on or before December 31st of the current year. To register a child, the parent or legal guardian should bring the following items:

    • Child's original birth certificate, any applicable immigration documents, and/or proof of Canadian citizenship for both the child and parent/guardian
    • Immunization record
    • Appropriate proof of residence address (current year property tax receipt, current month rental receipt, purchase/rental agreement)

Do children have to go to kindergarten?Top of page.

  • Children are entitled to an education program in the school year in which they turn 5 years old before January 1, and almost all children in British Columbia are registered by their parents at age 5.  Parents must enrol children or home school them in the school year in which they turn six. If parents choose to delay enrolment for their 5-year-old until next year, they should discuss with the school principal the best placement for their child. 

Aboriginal kindergarten students have had access to full day programs in some schools for many years. What is happening to these programs now that full day kindergarten is available for all children?Top of page.

  • As they plan for full day kindergarten for all students, school districts and independent school authorities should acknowledge the valuable experiences for Aboriginal children in many existing full day programs.  They should consider Local Education Agreements and Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements and continue to support the unique aspects of existing full day Aboriginal kindergarten programming such as language and culture enhancement (see Aboriginal Education on the Ministry of Education website).

Will the current funding policy regarding Aboriginal students, ESL, and students with low incidence special needs still be in place in 2011/12 with full day Kindergarten?Top of page.

  • As of September 2011, all students are funded for full day kindergarten. As they plan for full day kindergarten, school districts and independent school authorities should consider the unique needs of all children in full day programs. Additional funding is also provided to Boards of Education and Independent Schools to support children with unique needs (e.g. children with low incidence special needs, English as second language and Aboriginal students.) School districts should indentify and include these students within their enrolment allocation for 2011/12.

What about the cohort of children who didn’t attend full day kindergarten in 2010/11? Will they be behind their peers when they enter Grade 1 in September 2011 when half their peers have the advantage of having had a year of full day schooling experience?Top of page.

  • Students enter every grade at different stages of development, and teachers are accustomed to meeting students with diverse needs.  Kindergarten students in half and full day programs will have access the same kindergarten learning outcomes of the curriculum. Students in full day programming will have more time for deeper learning and exploration, and teachers will also be able to spend more time with students who require extra support. This difference only existed for one year, since all children now have access to full day kindergarten. 

Is there a new curriculum for full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • A longer instructional day has enabled kindergarten teachers to provide more opportunities for learning and success. The expanded kindergarten program is play-based and designed to address all areas of child development: physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive.

    The Ministry’s current curriculum for kindergarten has remained the same for full day kindergarten.

How is the Ministry of Education helping school districts and independent school authorities to implement full day kindergarten? Top of page.

  • Government has committed $365 million over three years to implement full day kindergarten for all five-year-olds in British Columbia.

    In 2009, the Ministry of Education held a forum for education stakeholders to discuss the implementation of universal full day kindergarten in British Columbia. A summary of the discussions and ideas (PDF, 57KB) is available online.

    The Ministry of Education developed the Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide English (PDF, 1.82MB) French (2.1MB) to assist teachers, administrators and other school staff in creating rich, play-based early learning experiences for children. The guide sets expectations for full day kindergarten programs in British Columbia, summarizes current research findings, and suggests effective practices that can be put to immediate use in schools and Kindergarten classrooms.

    The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the British Columbia Principals' and Vice Principals' Association and the British Columbia Primary Teachers' Association, also developed a series of full day kindergarten exemplar videos for teachers, principals and district staff.

    The videos were developed to supplement the Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide English (PDF, 1.82MB) French (PDF, 2.1MB) and provide insightful examples of rich, age-appropriate activities and learning environments for kindergarten students.

    The exemplar videos and the Program Guide are available here.

How do I find out which independent schools are offering full day kindergarten?Top of page.

  • All public boards of education are required to offer full day programs to all kindergarten-eligible children by September 1, 2011.

    Some independent schools may still be offering half day kindergarten. Educators and parents who want to know about kindergarten in independent schools should contact their local independent school authority.