YELLOWKNIFE (February 25, 2014) –With Junior Kindergarten on the horizon for 29 small communities in the 2014-15 school year, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is making sure the program and investments are meeting the needs of all affected children and families.
“We are very excited about this new program for our 4-year-old children,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty. “Junior Kindergarten can further the good work that other early childhood programs have begun, while providing an additional free, optional, full-day program for parents to access. This is especially critical in 10 of our small communities, where there are currently no licensed early childhood programs at all.”
Based on international and national research, Junior Kindergarten is emerging in many jurisdictions as a direct bridge between early childhood development programs and entry into school. The province of Quebec, which also offers a universal daycare program, began implementing Junior Kindergarten for 1,200 low income families for the 2013-14 school year, with a plan for the entire province over the next few years.
“Junior Kindergarten will also help alleviate some of the pressures on our licensed daycare providers, who are trying to fit approximately 3,300 children under the age of 5 into about 1,450 spaces,” said Minister Lafferty. “Pulling 4-year-old children out of that equation and working with our operators to convert spaces for children under 3 will ensure care is available for more of our children.”
The funding to implement Junior Kindergarten - approximately $7 million per year - will be coming from re-profiled funding to the Education Authorities across the Northwest Territories. The Education Act requires the government to provide funding to achieve a territorial average pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) of 16:1. The GNWT has committed that any Education Authority that ends up above the 16:1 PTR as a result of the Junior Kindergarten implementation will receive funding to bring them back to the legislated levels.