If you have additional questions that are pertinent to ask, please forward them to elpandme@owlchildcare.org and we will share them with other families via this list.

Possible Questions to Ask Regarding
Full Day Kindergarten

 

Below is a list of possible questions that parents may wish to ask of their child care operator, school principal, school board or their Member of Provincial Parliment.  

Potential questions to ask your centre Supervisor:

  • When is full-day kindergarten coming to this school (or to schools near our centre)?
  • When will Owl know what it is doing in place of the JK/K programs?
  • What are my options if I don't want to send my child to JK or SK at the school?
  • If the school decides not to offer the extended day program before and after school, can I send my child to Owl?
  • If the school does not offer care on PD days, March Break or over the Summer - will you be able to accommodate my child?

Potential questions to ask your school Principal:

  • When is full-day kindergarten coming to this school?
  • What is the cost of the extended day  program for before and after school?
  • What are the staffing qualifications and ratios for full day kindergarten and the extended day program?
  • Will my child be able to nap or have quiet time in full-day kindergarten?
  • Why are the fees for the extended day program higher than they are in the child care centre?
  • How is viability determined for the extended day program?
  • When will we know if the extended day program is being offered?
  • What are my options if the extended day program is deemed not viable.
  • Will the school offer care on PD days, during March break or during the summer? What would the costs be?

Potential questions to ask the school board (Superintendent of Early Learning or Board Trustees):

  • If Grade 1 and 2 children are being counted when determining viability for the extended day program, can I choose which acter school program to send my child to (the school's extended day program or the on-site child care centre)? 
  • What is the school board's position on working with child care operators to offer the extended day program?
  • Why are the fees for the extended day program higher than they are with the child care centre? Why are fees being paid to the Region?
  • How many RECEs will the school boards hire by the time full-day kindergarten is fully rolled out in 2015?
  • If the school board determines that the extended day program is not viable, what are my options? Examples have been shared where this has happened but the child care centre attached to the school was still not able to provide this care. If this is the case, why is that? What is the rationale?
  • Will the schools offer care on PD days, during March break or during the summer? What would the costs be?

Potential questions to ask your Member of Provincial Parliament and candidates in the upcoming Provincial election:

  • It is estimated that child care fees will rise by 15- 20% in our Region by 2014. What is your position on public investment for child care?
  • What is your party's position on the extended day program and working with child care operators to offer that service?
  • Examples have been shared where the school has determined that the extended day program is not viable and the child care operator was still prohibited from offering care before and after school. Are you aware of the impacts this has on families? What are you (or is your party) doing to minimize the impacts?
  • It has been said that the government is considering allowing 3rd party operators to only run before and after school programs if it is a recreation program and staff are trained in High Five or by the Ontario Camping Association. Most child care operators are not set up to run recreation programs under their articles of incorporation. This has a significant impact on families. We could end up with fragmented services where we pay the child care centre for toddler care, the Region/school board for extended day care for a SK child and then the Y or other agency to provide a recreation program for a school-age child. What are your thoughts on how to minimize this impact?