Ont. full-day kindergarten schools for 2011 listed

The list of 200 schools across Ontario that will start offering full-day kindergarten in September 2011 has been released by Premier Dalton McGuinty.

That puts the province on track to offer the program to all four- and five-year-old children in the province by 2015, McGuinty told a news conference at Prince of Peace Catholic School in Ottawa on Tuesday. At that point, it is expected to cost $1.5 billion annually.

Prince of Peace is one of 16 schools in Ottawa that will participate in the second year of the program. The first year is slated to begin at 600 schools across the province this fall.

While the province is keeping full-day enrolment optional, McGuinty highly recommends it and said he believes children who don't participate will fall behind relative to their peers.

"I think so, unless the parents are doing something extraordinary at home," he said. "What this is all about is giving our kids a head start, a leg up so they're better prepared for Grade 1."

Convenient for parents

Many parents at Prince of Peace Catholic School on Tuesday were supportive of the program.

Samantha Fox, who has one kindergarten-age daughter and two younger children, said the program will make it easier for her to continue her own schooling, as she won't have to pick her daughter up in the middle of the day.

Dwayne Torres, who has a son in kindergarten, was also pleased to hear full-day kindergarten will soon be available at Prince of Peace.

"It's awesome," he said. "It'll save me a lot of money for babysitting and stuff like that."

But Mika Conboy, whose two children attended half-day kindergarten, said she thinks some kids are better off at home for part of the day.

"I personally think that a whole day kindergarten will be a bit too much for four- or five- year-olds."

The opposition has criticized the program, questioning how the government can afford it with a $21-billion budget shortfall.