2025-2026 Fleetwood-Bawden Kindergarten Program 2025-2026 (NEW):
Program 1: Monday to Thursday mornings with alternating Friday mornings
Program 2: Monday to Thursday afternoons with alternating Friday mornings
Prior to this year the Fleetwood Kindergarten Program was:
Program 1: Full-day Monday and Wednesday with alternating Friday morning
Program 2: Full-day Tuesday and Thursday with alternating Friday morning
Our goal is to provide a kindergarten program that supports the diverse needs of our students and their families. We are committed to creating an environment that fosters academic growth, social development, and emotional well-being, while also being mindful of the practical challenges faced by our community.
FACTORS CONSIDERED FOR THE CHANGE:
Benefits to Children and Families:
Increased Attendance and Consistency: Attending school every day, even for a shorter period, helps children develop good attendance habits early on. Daily attendance helps children establish a consistent routine, which is crucial for their development.
Enhanced Social Skills: Daily interaction with peers helps children develop social skills more consistently. They have regular opportunities to build relationships and practice social behaviors like sharing, cooperation, and communication.
Emotional and Cognitive Development: Enhanced daily routines help manage children’s emotional regulation, resiliency, and executive function. Consistent attendance supports brain development and emotional well-being. How Brains are Built: The Core Story of Brain Development (video)
Continuous Learning: Regular attendance minimizes gaps in time, helping children maintain and build upon their knowledge more effectively. This continuity supports better learning retention and academic progress.
Comfort and Readiness: Consistency and routines positively affect children’s readiness and comfort with school. Shorter, daily sessions can be less overwhelming for young children compared to full-day programs, helping them adjust to the school environment more comfortably and reducing anxiety.
Effective Reinforcement: Repeated daily instruction enhances children’s ability to retain learning (e.g., calendar, number recognition, letter and sound recognition). Frequent reinforcement of concepts can be more effective for young learners compared to longer, less frequent sessions.
Better Engagement: Shorter, daily sessions can be less tiring for young children compared to full-day sessions, leading to better engagement and learning outcomes. Children’s stamina and engagement with the curriculum for the entire morning/afternoon positively impact student learning.
Developmental Readiness: An increasing number of children are not developmentally ready for full-day learning. Half-day programs provide the necessary emotional and behavioral support for children with limited stamina and resiliency to manage a full day.
Smooth Transition to Grade One: Daily attendance can ease the transition to grade one, as children become accustomed to coming to school consistently.
Family Time: Part-time programs allow children to spend more time at home with their families, which can be beneficial for their emotional and social development. It provides a balance between structured learning and family bonding.
School Community Immersion: Children are immersed in the overall school community on a consistent basis. Inconsistent programming can cause children to miss out on the energy and excitement of school-wide special days.
Other Important Factors That Were Deeply Considered:
Childcare and Mid-Day Transportation: We understand that childcare and mid-day transportation are significant concerns for working parents.
Transition to Grade One: Children accustomed to full days may find it easier to transition to grade one.
NOTE: This decision was informed by a survey conducted at another school within our division to seek parent feedback. Although we did not gather data from our own school community, we carefully reviewed the survey results and balanced them with other educational insights to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students and families. We want to assure families that we deeply considered the barriers of transportation and childcare, recognizing their importance in our decision.
