Full Day Kindergarten Implimentation.

Research Essay (FINAL DRAFT)

Melissa Frenette Talaga
COMM 1133
Dave Bartlett
Due: Monday November 19th 2013

School can be very scary for children transitioning from daycare. When
children are expected to attend full day school, it can be extremely
overwhelming. Children would have a much easier time adjusting to full day
schooling if full day kindergarten (FDK) was implimented in all schools in
Canada. The Ministry of Education has conducted studies on FDK that they
have already implimented in various schools in Ontario. The conclusions they
found are that, overall, students in FDK are better prepared for grade one,
and will more likely be more sucessful in school. FDK should be implimented
in all schools in Ontario due to the benefits it provides for children such as:
preparing them for grade one and developing their social and language skills.
Giving the children the oppurtunity to socialize longer, and to have more
developmentally appropriate activities avalible; children will be much less
overwhelmed when starting full day school.
Full day kindergarten is one of the main tools in helping children feel
more comfortable when transitioning into grade one. The Ministry of
Education had conducted several studies through a partnership with Queen's
and McMaster Universities from 2010 to 2012 and found many conclusions
permitting the implimentation of FDK. They state that "Overall students in

FDK are better prepared to enter grade one, and to be more sucessful in
school" (The Ministry of Education, 2013). The ministry conducted the study
looking at aspects of; physical health and well being, social compitance,
emotional maturity, language and cognition, communication and language
skills (2013). They state that in "every area, students improved their
readiness for grade one, and accelerated their development" (The Ministry of
Education, 2013). These statistics prove that FDK is in fact having a better
impact on the children, and in many developmental areas, they are seeing
improvement. Not only will full day kindergarten improve the readiness for
grade one, it will also improve the child's social language skills.
Children attending full day kindergarten will also have aided
development in social and language skills. Since the children will have the
oppurtunity to socialize longer with their peers in a school setting, and have
language developmentally appropriate activities, they will develop a better
language understanding. According to the largest study of its kind in Canada,
statistics are showing that children in full day kindergarten are better
prepared for school, showing strong language development, and better
communication and social skills (Alphonso, 2013). Since the children will be in
school longer prior to full day schooling, they will start developing better
social and language skills through interaction with peers, early childhood
educators, and teachers. The results from the studies show "that only 4.3
percent of children who attend FDK over two years were at risk of not doing
well in grade one because of language skills or cognitive development"
(Alphonso, 2013). This quote is demonstrating that FDK is already showing
benefits for children by lowering their chance of having social and language

incompitance in school. Through the study conducted by the Ministry of

Education, they also found statistics pertaining to the benefits that FDK
provides for language and social development. Comparisons between
children attending two years in FDK, against children who did not attend FDK
at all showed that the children had reduced risks in social compitance
development from 10.5 percent to 5.2 percent. It also showed a reduced risk
in language and cognitive development from 16.4 percent to 4.3 percent
(2013). This is showing a significant difference from the children in FDK
compared to the children who did not attend the implimented FDK in some
Canadian schools. The children will have an exceptional benefit when
entering full day schooling with less language and social barriers.
Overall, the children who attend full day kindergarten will have much
greater benefits provided to them by preparing them for grade one, and
developing their social and language skills. They will have a much easier
transition to full day schooling, and will be less overwhelmed with the new
schedule and routine. FDK should be implimented in all schools in Canada
due to the research provided on all the benefits it provides for children prior
to entering grade school.

Reference Page:
The Ministry of Education. (2013). Full day Kindergarten Study Highlight.
Retrived from:
http://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2013/9/full-day-kindergarten-studyhighlights.html
Alphonso, Caroline. (Sept. 2013). The Globe and Mail. Full day kindergarten
better prepares kids for grade 1. Retrived from:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/parentsresearchers-hopeful-of-positive-effects-from-ontarios-full-daykindergarten/article14083441/?cmpid=rss1&utm
The Ministry of Education. (2013). Why should I enroll my child? Retrived
from:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/kindergarten/whyshouldienrollmychild.html