Saskatoon’s public school division is expanding its all-day kindergarten program to 25 schools, up from 13, starting this fall.
Pearl Bayda, an early learning consultant with Saskatoon Public Schools, said she’s seen children thrive in full-day kindergarten, as it gives them consistency and a sense of security.
“Children seek consistency – and being able to attend and see their same group of friends, know what the routine is from morning, through lunchtime, being there near the end of the day, consistently across days – children absolutely thrive in that environment,” Bayda said.
Nearly 750 children in Saskatoon will be able to benefit from the new program.
There are limited spots available and different schools offer different programs, including half-day every day, full-day every alternate day and full-day every day.
Saskatoon Morning5:56All day Kindergarten is coming to Saskatoon public schools this fall
Saskatoon Public schools recently announced a big expansion of the all day kindergarten program. Trish Reeve is its Superintendent of Education, and explained to Saskatoon Morning what’s behind this change.
Parents can find more information on the school division’s kindergarten page. There is a map on the website with each of those 25 schools, their locations and contact information.
Parents can also go to their neighborhood school’s website to check if it offers full-day kindergarten and register there.
Some working parents, such as Emily Tucker, are excited about the move. Tucker has three kids, with one son already in kindergarten, and his daughter will start school next year.
“I think it would make it a lot easier for myself because at the moment, I have three kids, so I’m running around anyway. It would definitely make my life smoother to be able to take two kids at every-day school and one at daycare rather than running back and forth,” Tucker said.
Saskatoon parent Josie Anderson said she thinks it can get exhausting for some kids by the end of the week.
“I think, for me, for a transition, doing every other day would be more beneficial. I have three kids — [aged] four, two and a newborn. I like spending the time at home when the five-year-old is going to be in school — I could be home with the other two spending some time,” Anderson said.
Maygen Kardash sends her kids to private school every day for the full day. She believes developing a love for education early on gives kids the foundation to grow throughout their lives and kick-starts their move to Grade 1.
“I wish there had been a public school option for me. My kids did go to private school from ages two to five. My little guy is still in and I did start with part-time kindergarten, but both of my children chose full-time time, they wanted to stay with their friends,” Kardash said.
Kardash is a social media blogger and said he saw a lot of excitement from parents in the city. She said for some parents, it could also be a chance to get in touch with themselves and work on their careers while their kids are at kindergarten.