ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' FEDERATION
Full-Day Kindergarten: A statement from OSSTF/FEESO president Harvey Bischof

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation is alarmed that the Minister of Education is unwilling to commit to the continuation of Ontario's full-day Kindergarten (FDK) program beyond the school year beginning in September, 2019.

All available research tells us that the adoption of full-day learning, facilitated by early-learning classroom teams comprising certified teachers and registered Early Childhood Educators, has had an enormously positive impact for Ontario's students. Studies have shown that students enrolled in FDK are better prepared for Grade 1, better positioned to be successful in school, and at significantly less risk for problems with social competence, language and communications skills, and overall cognitive development.

Any move on the part of the Ford government to cut full-day Kindergarten would be astoundingly short-sighted, and would have an immediate and permanent negative impact on the province's youngest students. We urge the government to consider the overwhelming evidence and to recognize that the costs associated with FDK represent a valuable investment in the future of Ontario - an investment that will yield returns for decades to come. Additionally, the provincial government should count on this threat to our members' work and to a high quality publicly funded education system being vigorously opposed by OSSTF/FEESO.