For Immediate Release
July 29, 2008
Age of Entry Cutoff Will Move to December 31 by 2010
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI — Gerard Greenan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development announced today that the age children are required to be when they enter kindergarten and grade one will be revised over a two-year period beginning in September 2009.
Presently children must be five years old by October 31 to enter kindergarten programs and six years old by October 31 to begin school. There will be no further change to the policy this year. The cutoff date for both kindergarten and school entry will remain at October 31 this fall.
In September 2009 the cutoff date for kindergarten entry will move to December 31 while the cutoff date for school entry will remain at October 31.
In September 2010 the cutoff date for both kindergarten and school entry will move to December 31.
"This policy revision will enable children to benefit from kindergarten and school-based learning at an earlier age. It will provide early childhood centres an! d schools with earlier opportunities to identify children needing support for literacy and learning. It will also put the PEI age of entry in line with policies in most other provinces," says Minister Greenan.
The decision to move the date to December 31 was announced earlier this year. Following this, government met with partners and conducted an online survey to determine the best way to implement the policy change.
Minister Greenan said the option to phase the policy in over a two-year period was preferred by most people because it can be implemented faster and with less confusion for parents, children and educators.
BACKGROUNDER
Age of Entry Policy Implementation
Based on an announcement made in February 2008, the cutoff date for entry to kindergarten and Grade 1 moved from August 31 to October 31, effective September 2008. This meant that children must be five years old by October 31 in order to enter kindergarten and six years of age by Oc! tober 31 to start school.
In May 2008, Government announced a fur ther revision in the policy that would move the cutoff from October 31 to December 31, putting the PEI date in line with other provinces. Government then sought input from partners and parents on two implementation options. Option A was to implement the policy over three years. Option B was to phase it in over two years. People were invited to suggest other options and ideas.
Consultation process
An online survey was circulated to early childhood educators, teachers and partners. The survey was promoted to parents through newspaper ads.
Option B was preferred by 53 per cent of the 315 respondents. Option A was the choice of 25 per cent. Another 20 per cent of respondents preferred an even faster implementation or no change at all.
The consultation process also included meetings with the Early Childhood Development Association, Early Learning Operators of PEI, Eastern School District, French Language School Board, West! ern School Board, PEI Teachers’ Federation, PEI Home and School Federation and la Féderation des parents. While some of these groups would prefer no change in the policy, without exception, they voted for
Option B with appropriate resources to aid in the transition. A facilitated discussion was also held with over 80 early childhood educators and members of the early childhood community. These participants preferred no change and felt that children are better prepared with a cutoff date of August 31. When asked about Option A or B, they preferred Option B with adequate resources.
The most prevalent reason given for choosing Option A was that it provided more time for everyone to adjust to the change. Those who do not support any change also liked Option A because it gives children an extra year before beginning formalized schooling.
Respondents who preferred Option B liked it because it would take less time to implement and it would be less confusing for children, parents and educators. They said it should not take three years to implement the policy if it could be done in two years. They insisted that a firm decision be made and that it not be changed again.
There was also a group that preferred neither A nor B. They did indicate that if there is to be a change, it should be made sooner rather than later. Some people in this group suggested that exceptions be allowed using assessments to gauge school readiness. They also recommended that the cutoff date be the same for kindergarten and grade one so that the policy is easy for parents to understand and there is only one transition for children and families.
Conclusion
It is clear that there is a variety of strong opinions about what age a child should be when he or she begins kindergarten and school. What was most prevalent in the many comments received is that a decision should be made swiftly and adhered to for the long term. A plan of action to inform all parties is important and providing educators with information they can share with parents is essential.
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Issued at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island by Island Information Service. For more information, please contact Jean Doherty , Education and Early Childhood Development by email at jmdoherty@edu.pe.ca or phone (902) 368-6449 .
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