It's a major undertaking but the transition of kindergarten into the public school system on P.E.I. is well underway, says Education Minister Doug Currie.
Department staff has been busy over the past several months putting in place a number of key components to make Island classrooms and educators ready for kindergarten beginning in Island schools in September.
Many major tasks have already been completed, including the registration of students and the assignment of space for kindergarten in all schools.
More than 1,200 students have been registered at schools across the province for kindergarten this fall.
"I'm very pleased with the progress of the transition at this point," Currie said Tuesday.
"I've got to be honest, I'm very excited about the work that's going on. The thing that I'm most excited about is that we're going to have five-year-olds for the first time in the history of this province who are going to have the same opportunities of every other five-year-old in Canada."
To accommodate the over 1,200 new students, 50 new school buses have been ordered and bus routes are being developed. It is anticipated there will be an adequate number of child safety seats on school buses for children who weigh less than 40 pounds.
Classrooms are being prepared and formatted for play-based learning. Rather than rows of desks, there will be activity tables, computer centres, learning stations and soft floor space. Kindergarten furniture, equipment and supplies are being ordered now so that classrooms will be equipped by the fall.
Teachers already in the school system are also being prepared for the new, younger students entering their schools.
Sessions on play-based learning and the kindergarten curriculum have been held for over 300 department and board staff, school administrators and Grade 1, resource, music and phys ed teachers.
More sessions will soon be offered for school counsellors, teacher librarians, Grade 2 teachers, specialists and support staff.
But kindergarten instructors are still in limbo. Early childhood educators (ECEs) were given priority for the approximately 110 kindergarten teaching positions that are now available.
The department has interviewed and selected the necessary number of ECEs for the jobs, and they have all applied to UPEI for a special bachelor of education program developed to enable them to obtain their degree over a six-year period.
But school boards can't offer these ECEs positions until the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation changes its collective agreement with the province. The federation has a policy not to release details of its contract negotiations.
Teachers' Federation president Carrie St. Jean would only say they are ongoing.
"We're still in negotiations with government to get a settlement," St. Jean told The Guardian Tuesday.
"Until we have an agreement, they can't do anything. And right now that's where it stands. We're
very anxious for that to get settled but it isn't settled yet."
Once the federation has an agreement, all teachers in the province must vote on whether to accept it.
Currie said he is confident in the overall progress of the kindergarten transition but said the job is far from over.
Initiatives:
Here are some of the kindergarten transition initiatives that will soon be offered to parents and incoming students:
- All children registered for kindergarten this fall will take part in an assessment of their developmental skills. It will indicate how well children are developing in self-awareness, cognitive skills, language and communication, and gross and fine motor development. The half-hour assessment will be administered by teachers in local schools April 19-30.
- Parents of children registered for kindergarten will receive information on the assessment in the mail.
- Families will also be invited to take part in a Welcome to Kindergarten program at their child's school. This will give them an opportunity to meet their teacher and receive information on how they can prepare their child for kindergarten.
- For more information, visit the Kindergarten Transition website at www.edu.pe.ca.
