Full-day Kindergarten Programs Research Articles

Determining who is at-risk in the full-day kindergarten program

Research indicates that early intervention can improve long term outcomes for students who struggle early in school. However, in multi-layered organization such as the school system, many elements may come into play when deciding which students will receive support. This study examined these elements including system requirements and expectations at the provincial and school board levels, current practice in schools and classrooms, and the beliefs and knowledge of individuals surrounding the assessment and identification of at-risk students. Using a qualitative approach, 23 individuals were interviewed. Relevant provincial and school board documents as well as artifacts were gathered to provide further information. The findings indicate that many elements influence the identification of a student as at-risk including the characteristics of the student, and the particular classroom, school, and school board the student attends. The results of this study reveal a lack of clarity as well as differing perspectives and priorities when it comes to the concept of at-risk. The study findings contribute to our understanding of practice and beliefs around young students at-risk and how the interactions of the various elements involved impact the identification of individual students.

Operationalization of self-regulation in the early years: comparing policy with theoretical underpinnings

Research has consistently demonstrated that self-regulation is essential for the development and preservation of health and well-being in the early years and across the lifespan. Based on the emerging literature on the important role of self-regulation in promoting healthy child development, policymakers have made efforts to include self-regulation skills in practice and policy documents worldwide. Despite efforts to include self-regulation skills in early years curriculum documents, there is limited understanding by teachers, scholars, and policymakers of what self-regulation is and how best to support it in the day-to-day classroom. This limited understanding is perpetuated by a lack of a unified definition of self-regulation. Thus, it becomes important to examine these efforts in a critical way. In Ontario, where the research was completed, a revised play-based full-day kindergarten program was introduced in 2016. In this research we use a qualitative document analysis approach to compare the conceptualization of self-regulation in Ontario’s revised play-based kindergarten program with theory-driven models of self-regulation from empirical research. Analysis was iterative, and themes emerged based upon a coding scheme developed by the research team. Results suggest that co-regulation has a powerful influence on student learning. In addition, the policy document de-emphasizes behavioral regulation and expands cognitive regulation to include more than inhibitory control. Lastly, the kindergarten program discusses metacognition in relation to the use of language to articulate one’s thinking with little attention to goal-directed behaviors. In this paper, explicit recommendations for policymakers and practitioners are provided to ensure that emerging conceptualizations of self-regulation are promoted in early years curricula. Further, empirical evidence is needed to support why it is necessary to understand emerging conceptualizations of self-regulation and outline implications for current early years curricula.

Privileging Power: Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, and Racial Socialization in Full-Day Kindergarten

This paper critically unpacks the racialized and gendered hierarchies between the co-teaching model of early childhood educators (ECEs) and Ontario certified teachers (OCTs) in full-day kindergarten (FDK), and how such positionalities speak to racial socialization in early learning spaces. While young children and early learning spaces are often portrayed as raceless, ahistorical, and apolitical, extant literature suggests that children as young as two years of age are aware of visible and cultural differences between themselves and other groups. The paper employs a reconceptualist framework by drawing on critical race theory to explorehow racialized power relations between ECEs and teachers inform hierarchies of dominance and impact processes of racial socialization in FDK learning spaces. While both professions are predominantly feminized, the overwhelming majority of teachers in Ontario are white and middle class, whereas ECEs in FDK programs are more likely to be racialized and marginalized due to low wages and diminished professional status as care workers rather than educators. Although there has been great emphasis on the importance of diversifying the teacher workforce, there is minimal study on the impact of the hierarchies and racialized power relations between ECEs and OCTs and their impact on racial socialization in FDK programs. This conceptual paper seeks to address this gap.

Masquerade of Neoliberal Concepts Revealed: Self-Regulation Skills in Ontario’s Full Day Kindergarten Program

This study examines an action research project that included four kindergarten teachers who taught in the first year of the Ontario’s mandated full day kindergarten (FDK) program, which began in September 2016. This action research project focused on the teachers’ concerns about the constant unsafe violence, bullying and disruptive behaviour that characterized their FDK classrooms, which led them to explore self-regulation skills. According to the FDK program developers and school administrators, self-regulation was the key to eliminating such difficult behaviours and actions. However, the findings of the action research study revealed there were many challenges in sustaining and having students understand self-regulation, and there was a disconnect between the theoretical understanding of self-regulation and the practical reality of how self-regulation was used in the classroom. The findings of this action research study bring forth an interesting argument: the practical use of self-regulation in FDK classrooms (un)consciously gives permission to the reach and subsequent impact of neoliberalism in schools.

DIFFERENCES IN ROUGH MOTORIC DEVELOPMENT, LANGUAGE AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN WHO KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM FULL DAY AND REGULAR IN 2019

The background of this research is Targeted SDGs of quality education by 2030 ensure that all children have access to quality early development, care, and pre-primary education.The purpose of this study is to find out the differences in Roughmotoric, language and prosocial behavior development in children undergoing kindergarten and regular daytime kindergarten learning.Types and designs in this study use Mixed Methods namely Sequential Explanatory Designs. Population in Quantitative Research children aged 4-6 years who attend learning in kindergarten and regular programs, and qualitative research populations School Leaders, Teachers/Teaching Staff, parents. Quantitative research sample is 34 respondents in Full Day program Kindergarten and 38 people in Regular program and for Qualitative research are School Leaders, Teachers / Teaching Staff, parents, sample technique in Quantitative research is Total Sampling, and for Qualitative research is proportional simple random sampling. Examination using KPSP and prosocial behavior observation sheets in quantitative research, and in qualitative research using interview guides and focus group discussion guides. Data analysis in quantitative research uses Mann Whitney and qualitative research uses data reduction analysis techniques, data display and conclusion drawing / verification.The results of quantitative research on bivariate analysis showed that there were significant differences between children undergoing full-day and regular program kindergarten. On p-value motor development was 0.008 (p <0.05), language p-value was 0.006 (p <0.05) and prosocial behavior p-value was 0.009 (p <0.05). Qualitative research results are not found any obstacles and efforts have been made to improve the quality of Roughmotoric development, language and prosocial behavior, so that it has benefited and achieved expectations of Roughmotoric development, language and prosocial behavior in children undergoing kindergarten full and regular programs.The conclusion of this study is Roughmotoric, language, and prosocial behavior development. in children who undergo full-day kindergarten program is better than regular program kindergarten.Keywords: Language development, rough motor development, prosocial behavior,kindergarten

Parental Employment Effects of Switching from Half-Day to Full-Day Kindergarten: Evidence from Ontario’s French Schools

Full-day kindergarten programs are expanding across North America, driven by a policy focus on early childhood development. These programs also affect parents’ budget sets and may lead to changes in labour market outcomes. We examine parents’ labour supply response to the move from half-day to full-day kindergarten in Ontario’s French schools well before the same change was made in English schools. We find no robust evidence of labour supply effects for fathers in two-parent families and only some limited and modest effects for mothers in two-parent families. For single mothers, the estimates suggest large and statistically significant effects on employment and hours of work, in particular for working longer hours.

The Impact of Full-Day Kindergarten on Learning Outcomes and Self-Regulation Among Kindergarten Children at Risk for Placement in Special Education

Two-year, play-based, full-day kindergarten (FDK) has been shown to have long-term academic and self-regulation benefits for young children. This article addresses the question of whether FDK has particular benefits for children who may be at risk for placement in special education. Participants included 592 kindergarten children in their second year of kindergarten, with an average age of 5 years, 9 months. Parent reports indicated that 56% of the children spoke a language other than English at home. The research design exploited a natural experiment that occurred due to the phasing-in of FDK, creating two groups of children who attended either FDK or half-day kindergarten (HDK). Kindergarten children’s outcomes in vocabulary, reading, writing, mathematics, and self-regulation were used to create two achievement groups based on data cut-points: below average and average to above average. Following a series of binary logistic regression analyses, results showed that HDK children were significantly more likely than FDK children to be in the below average group in the areas of reading, vocabulary, and self- regulation. In fact, results for self-regulation showed that HDK children were three times more likely to fall into the below average group. These results are consistent with our larger study on the longitudinal impact of FDK to Grade 3. The article discusses the importance of play-based learning in fostering self-regulation and providing opportunities for small- group learning in the FDK program. For children who struggle academically, full-day learning through play with the guidance of an educator team may present additional benefits.

A longitudinal comparison of learning outcomes in full-day and half-day kindergarten

In 2010, the province of Ontario introduced a new universal two-year play-based full-day kindergarten program. The authors exploited the phasing-in of this program over five years, allowing a natural experiment in which children from full-day kindergarten could be compared with those from half-day kindergarten in matched neighborhoods. Children (N = 592) were followed from kindergarten to Grade 2 with direct learning and self-regulation measures. Grade 3 wide-scale achievement test scores were available for 269 of the children. Results showed lasting benefits of full-day kindergarten on children’s self-regulation, reading, writing, and number knowledge to the end of Grade 2, including some benefits for vocabulary. Full-day kindergarten children were significantly more likely to meet provincial expectations for reading in Grade 3. The study points to the benefits of a play-based full-day kindergarten program and brings evidence to bear on the mixed findings in the research literature about the fade-out effects of full-day kindergarten.

Parental Employment Effects of Switching from Half‐Day to Full‐Day Kindergarten: Evidence from Ontario's French Schools

Full-day kindergarten programs are expanding across North America, driven by a policy focus on early childhood development. These programs also affect parents' budget sets and may lead to changes in labour market outcomes. We exploit the unusual nature of Ontario's government school system to examine parents' labour supply response to a move from half-day to full-day kindergarten in Ontario's French – but not English – schools. We find no robust evidence of labour supply effects for fathers in two parent families, and only some limited and modest effects on mothers in two parent families. For single mothers, the point estimates suggest large and statistically significant effects on employment and hours of work, and in particular for working longer hours.

Students with disabilities attending full-day versus part-day kindergarten: Short- and long-term effects on achievement

We examined a national dataset of kindergarteners with disabilities and inquired into whether attending full- versus part-day kindergarten predicted short- and long-term differences in reading and math achievement. Implementing fixed effects and propensity score matching using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), we found that students with disabilities (SWDs) in full-day kindergarten (FDK) had higher reading and math scores at the end of kindergarten. However, this effect disappeared completely by the end of first grade for all SWDs. There were no differences by disability category. In the continued expansion of FDK programs, policymakers and parents ought to consider that SWDs have similar patterns of achievement gains in kindergarten to their peers without disabilities (as shown in prior research), and though these gains may diminish in later grades, it may support the trajectory of students who tend to have additional needs at school-entry.

DIFFERENCE OF ROUGH MOTORIC, LANGUAGE, AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN UNDERGOING FULL DAY PROGRAM AND REGULAR PROGRAM AT KINDERGARTEN IN DEPOK SLEMAN DISTRICT-INDONESIA

Objectives : Targeted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of quality education by 2030 ensure that all children have access to quality early development, care, and pre-primary education. Proportion of working mother in Depok District is highest in Sleman that is 52,9%. During preschool, the kindergarten is the most important socialization agency for the child that requires care and education as it relates to the substitute role of the parents. To Know the differences of rough motoric, language, and prosocial behavior development in children undergoing full-day program and regular program at kindergarten. Method : Comparative analytics and a cross-sectional approach. The population of children is aged 4-6 years. The sample of each group is 34 respondents. The sampling technique is proportional simple random sampling. The examination uses KPSP and pro-social behavior observation sheet. Data analysis uses using Mann Whitney and Ordinal Logistic Regression. Results : Bivariate analysis showed that there was a significant difference between children who underwent full-day and regular program at kindergartens. For motor development p-value was 0.027 (p Conclusion : Roughmotoric, language, and prosocial behavior development.in children who undergo full-day kindergarten program is better than regular program kindergarten. External variables such as age, gender, birth order, parental education, and maternal employment status do not affect rough motoric, language, and prosocial behavior development. Keywords: Language development, rough motor development, prosocial behavior, kindergarten Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Changes in Development Among Kindergarten Children in Ontario 2012-2015: Linking Developmental, Sociodemographic, and Policy Implementation Data

IntroductionIn Ontario kindergarten children, measures of early child development (ECD) indicate worsening outcomes over the last two provincial measurements (2012-2015), particularly among indicators of early physical, emotional and social development. This is despite significant investments in early childhood in the province through the roll-out of universal full day kindergarten.
 Objectives and ApproachOur objective is to uncover correlates of change in the measures of ECD using the Early Development Instrument (EDI) between 2012 and 2015, particularly in relation to the average home/neighbourhood environments of students where school-level outcomes declined. This analysis links individual EDI data in Ontario, with 2016 DA-level Canadian Census data aggregated to the school level. The EDI is a kindergarten teacher-completed questionnaire measuring school readiness across five domains of child development. The schools are classified into groups based on whether they experienced statistically meaningful change in the domains of the EDI over the observed timeframe.
 ResultsThe changes observed at the provincial level were consistent with those observed at the school level. Developmental vulnerability increased overall, in the Physical Health and Well-being, Social Competence and Emotional Maturity domains. Vulnerability decreased in the Language and Cognitive Development and Communication Skills and General Knowledge domains. While the analyses are still ongoing, preliminary findings suggest that schools with a higher proportion of children from high immigrant, and high income neighbourhoods tended to improve more than other schools. These along with some other socioeconomic neighbourhood characteristics identify sub-groups of schools that tended to see more positive or negative change on average across the five domains. We will supplement these findings using the time of introduction of the free full-day kindergarten program in each school.
 Conclusion/ImplicationsThe presentation breaks down recent trends in kindergarten school readiness to identify schools that did better or worse than average based on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The analysis will also incorporate the timing of the introduction of full-day kindergarten into each school, providing insight into the effects of the program.

Are Today’s Students With Disabilities More Likely to Attend Full-Day Kindergarten or Part-Day Kindergarten? Analysis of Two Cohorts of Students and Their Teachers

Some education policy analysts have called for increased participation of young children in full-day kindergarten programs as opposed to part-day kindergarten. However, little is known about whether students with disabilities are increasingly attending these programs and what their teachers are like. This study addresses this gap by examining whether the full-day kindergarten-going patterns have changed within two nationally representative cohorts of kindergartners (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten classes of 1998 and 2010). The findings suggest that a greater percentage of students with disabilities are enrolled in full-day kindergarten programs in 2010 (approximately 80%) than in 1998 (approximately 55%). Comparing full-day kindergarten enrollees between the two cohorts, there were no differences in teachers’ years of experience or degrees, though full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 had teachers with less early education and special education coursework. However, full-day kindergarten enrollees in 2010 were more likely to be in classrooms with a special education teacher’s aide. Implications are discussed.

The Benefits of Center-Based Care and Full-Day Kindergarten for School Attendance in the Early Grades

School absenteeism has been recognized as a growing issue in the United States, especially during the early elementary school years when it is most pervasive. Accordingly, there has been growing interest in understanding why children are absent and whether certain early educational experiences can reduce children’s rates of school absences. The objective of this investigation was to estimate the additive and multiplicative benefits of children’s early school experiences in preschool (center-based care) and kindergarten (center-based care and full day kindergarten enrollment) for patterns of school absenteeism in kindergarten and first grade. To address these objectives, data were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 and included 12,835 children and families. Children who attended center-based care in preschool and kindergarten had fewer missed school days and were less likely to be chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade. Children in full-day kindergarten programs had more absences by the end of kindergarten, but fewer absences by the end of the following year. No specific combination of early school arrangements was most beneficial. Instead, children who experienced more early educational arrangements were generally absent less frequently and these benefits were larger in first grade than in kindergarten. When taken together, findings underscore the importance of formal early educational programs and opportunities on longer-term school attendance.

Early Childhood Educational Settings and School Absenteeism for Children With Disabilities

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 were used to examine the implications of preschool and full-day kindergarten enrollment for the subsequent school absences of 2,056 children with disabilities. Results suggest that children with disabilities who went to preschool were absent less frequently in kindergarten, but these benefits did not persist through the end of first grade. Conversely, children with disabilities who attended full-day kindergarten programs were absent more frequently during the kindergarten year as compared with children in part-day programs, but these children experienced a sharper drop in absenteeism throughout the following school year resulting in no differences in school absences in first grade. No multiplicative benefits emerged for attending both preschool and full-day kindergarten. And even though these aforementioned benefits of preschool diminished rapidly, there were lingering academic benefits through the end of first grade because of improvements in earlier school attendance.

Well-being in the Kindergarten Eating Environment and the Role of Early Childhood Educators

In Ontario, kindergarten children haverecently begun to eat lunch at school with theimplementation of the full-day kindergartenprogram. To date, there are no regulations toaddress the particular needs of young childrenin the school eating environment. Drawing ona year-long three-phase study that followed acohort of 21 children as they transitioned fromfull-day childcare to full-day kindergarten,this study explores the impact of staff trainingand staff relationships on the well-being ofkindergarten students. Findings suggest that thepresence of an early childhood educator (ECE),a minimum staffing of two adults per room, anda collaborative approach between teacher andECE have a positive impact on child well-being.

Is full-day kindergarten linked to children’s physical activity?

Although there has been much research assessing the role of full-day kindergarten (FDK) versus part-day kindergarten (PDK) in relation to academic achievement, considerably less attention has been paid to whether FDK or PDK might be linked to children's physical activity. Applying fixed-effects models and propensity score matching to a nationally-representative dataset, we found that relative to children in FDK programs, children in FDK programs had lower BMI, had more outdoor play time, had longer physical education sessions, and had higher parental ratings of participation in rapid exercise. Children in FDK programs were also less likely to watch television during the week than children in PDK programs. There were no differences in television watching on the weekends, providing evidence that weekday activities were shifted by FDK versus PDK attendance. Policy implications are discussed.

Full- Versus Part-Day Kindergarten for Children With Disabilities

Despite the vast body of research examining the relationship between full-day kindergarten attendance and children’s outcomes, little is known about the effects of full-day kindergarten on children with disabilities (i.e., students with 1 of the 13 categories of disabilities recognized under federal law). This study fills this research void by examining whether full-day kindergarten participation predicts differences in achievement and social-emotional outcomes for children with disabilities. Using a national data set of kindergarten students from the 2010–2011 school year (ECLS-K:2011) and employing propensity matching, this study finds that relative to part-day kindergarten (PDK), full-day kindergarten (FDK) attendance is associated with higher achievement scores but also with higher frequencies of internalizing behaviors and lower incidences of self-control at the end of the kindergarten school year. The relationships between FDK attendance and outcomes varied by type of disability classification, such that significant achievement effects emerged only for children with learning and communication disorders. In addition, less time spent on child-initiated activities was associated with higher mathematics scores for children in FDK programs but not for children in PDK programs. Policy implications of the results are discussed.

Negotiating Status: The Impact of Union Contracts on the Professional Role of RECEs in Ontario's Full-Day Kindergarten Programs

<p>abstract to follow</p>

Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten and Report Cards: Honouring Children’s Learning and Development through Reflective Evaluation Practices

The Ontario Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) program, now in its fifth year, celebrates children’s intentionality and natural curiosity about the world. Consequently, a report card is needed to support the vision for the new full-day early learning program in Ontario. A preliminary review of the report cards reveals that expectations/outcomes have been categorized and quantified. The scales being used vary considerably from school board to school board and these variations include: using numeric scales of achievement (Levels 1-4); providing descriptors for a specific skill set (i.e. emerging, developing at expected level, beyond expected level); or evaluating progress based on frequency (i.e. sometimes evident, always evident, not yet evident). Additionally, although reports should include next steps for the Early Learning–Kindergarten team, as well as next steps for the parents to assist them in supporting their child’s learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), our preliminary review reveals that while this information is sometimes communicated variably or informally, it is only periodically included in completed report cards. The overall focus of the new FDK program is on developing children’s problem solving and metacognitive skills (encouraging children to think about their thinking). In addition, the goal is for children to develop self-motivation and self-regulation so that they can become self-directed, lifelong learners. A new report card is needed to embrace this new vision for full-day learning which is based on child directedness and inquiry. In this article we: a) present the background on the inception of the Full-Day Kindergarten program in Ontario; b) share insights and evaluative methods from the Reggio Emilia approach of pedagogical documentation for reporting growth and learning of four and five year olds in an attempt to inform our practices in Ontario; and c) present a standardized provincial Kindergarten report card that is aligned to Pascal’s vision for full day early learning.