Ontario Unveils a Back-to-Basics Kindergarten Curriculum

The provincial government is setting Kindergarten students on a stronger start to their educational journey by introducing a Kindergarten Curriculum that goes back to basics.

For the first time in Ontario history, all Kindergarten students will receive daily mandatory learning on the foundations of reading, writing, and math.

This announcement addresses recommendations from experts and addresses the gaps under the previous government that set back Ontario’s youngest learners, including the lack of importance placed on daily phonics, teaching alphabetic knowledge and word development, along with a lack of monitoring students’ skills and support for struggling students.

This government’s new Kindergarten Curriculum includes:

• all students receiving explicit instruction in literacy for the first time, along with the use of phonics, to build their vocabulary and instil a passion for reading and writing
• systematic and explicit instruction in foundational numeracy skills will be provided to all students in addition to daily opportunities to explore math concepts through regular classroom activities.

The provincial government is also investing $65 million over the coming years to hire specialized literacy educators to boost literacy rates.

These changes and supports are the next step in the provincial government’s plan to ensure every student master those fundamental skills, starting from day one.

Learn More: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004097/ontario-unveils-a-back-to-basics-kindergarten-curriculum