As has been widely reported, on February 17, 2010 Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky introduced Bill 242: Full-day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010. The bill, if passed, will mandate that all school boards offer full-day kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds, including before- and after-school childcare programs. The Bill mandates that ELP will be implemented in all Ontario elementary schools over the next five years.
Bill 242 would also give boards the authority to and mandates that they set, charge and collect fees for extended day programs outside of the regular school day and during July and August, Christmas and March breaks, weekends and holidays, and PD days.
The Bill permits boards to operate extended day programs for other pupils of the board (i.e. children 6 years and up) and permits two or more boards to operate a joint extended day program.
In a positive move forward, the bill mandates that "teachers and early childhood educators co-operate with each other with respect to matters regarding the provision of junior kindergarten, kindergarten and extended day programs." and that boards of education "designate at least one position in each junior kindergarten and kindergarten class as requiring an early childhood educator, and to appoint early childhood educators to those positions."
Finally, the Bill requires amendment to the Day Nurseries Act to allow fee subsidy for parents of children in extended day programs outside regular school hours.
The actual text of the bill including a readable one page explanatory note of key changes can be seen at:
http://www.ontla.on.ca/bills/bills-files/39_Parliament/Session1/b242.pdf
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