Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK)

The implementation of full-day Kindergarten (FDK) over the next two years will provide challenges and opportunities for teachers and students throughout the province. Full school day Kindergarten can only be successfully implemented if there are adequate resources available to support it, the program offered is
play-based and the learning outcomes are culturally sensitive to the children in the class.

It is antithetical to the pedagogical base for FDK to test students’ “school readiness” before they enter Kindergarten. It is also completely inappropriate to download the learning outcomes from grades 1 to 3 into Kindergarten. Multi-grade K/primary classes will pose their own specific challenges. The BCTF supports the
re-invigoration of the Primary Program and would urge teachers to use it as the framing tool for their FDK/multi-grade classes.

BCTF FDK Questionnaire

The BCTF is following the implementation of full-day Kindergarten carefully. We conducted a questionnaire in the fall of 2010 and appreciate the input from all members who participated. The questionnaire is now closed.

BCTF FDK Workshop

In this hands-on workshop, teachers of full-day Kindergarten will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the principles and applications of a newly updated Primary Program document. More...

Provincial Specialist Associations

• Aboriginal Education Association (AEA) 
• BC Primary Teachers' Association (BCPTA) 
• BC Rural & Small Schools Teachers’ Association (BCRSSTA) 
• Special Education Association (SEA) 

Ministry links

• Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide  
• Full Day Kindergarten Exemplar Videos 
• The Primary Program: A Framework for Teaching  
• K-12 Funding - Aboriginal Education 
• Shared Learnings: Integrating BC Aboriginal Content K-10  

Teacher Newsmagazine articles

• Paths to full-day Kindergarten (Apr 2010)
• Anticipating full-day Kindergarten (Mar 2010)

Articles and reports

Alliance for Childhood. (2010). Research and advocacy.

Graue, E. (2009). Reimagining Kindergarten. School Administrator, 66(10), 10-12, 14-15.

Miller, E., & Almon, J. (2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why children need to play in school. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood.  

Mort, J.N. (2011). Taking the pulse: Full day Kindergarten in British Columbia year one. Vancouver: BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association.  

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010-11). The full-day early learning - Kindergarten program (draft).  

Scarfo, C. (2008). It’s child’s play…and it matters! Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.  

What are other provinces doing?

Compiled by Koni Macdonald, ATA News Staff. (2010). Who is offering full-day Kindergarten in Canada?