From Toronto First Duty Vision to Policy Reality: Scaling Up, Watering Down in the Provincial Implementation of Full-day Kindergarten at the Bruce/WoodGreen Demonstration Site
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Ontario’s Full-day Kindergarten (FDK) evolved in part out of Toronto First Duty (TFD), a demonstration project and feasibility study of integrated early childhood programs delivered through a partnership spanning different auspices. TFD used a model in which kindergarten, child care and other services provided an integrated program. This study tracks the evolution of the FDK program using a case study of Bruce Public School. Through a partnership with WoodGreen Community Services this site became part of TFD and evolved into the internationally known Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre (BWELC). At full implementation, BWELC provided a full-day, play-based, high quality program for 4-year-old and 5-year-old children, delivered by an integrated staff team, with wrap-around, comprehensive child care. It became the seed for the “scaling up” of Ontario’s FDK program. In more recent years, changes to the staffing and program delivery models with the roll-out of FDK have impacted the early learning experience in a way that might be considered “watering down.” This study aims to tell the story of what occurred at BWELC and why it happened, focusing on the cornerstones of quality and staff integration, moving from initial vision to current reality. Building on the research of the TFD project, the current study continued to employ a case study approach and mixed methods, combining both qualitative and quantitative forms of inquiry. Data were collected using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised, the Toronto Operating Criteria, the Indicators of Change tool, a parent/guardian survey and key informant interviews. The study approach involved three intersecting conceptual frameworks: Theory of change, integration/integrated services, and leadership. A concurrent triangulation approach was used to examine convergence among the data sources. The findings point to reductions in integration and leadership as Bruce Public School adopted the scaled-up system of FDK and to the effects of these key challenges on quality. The study contributes to our understanding of elements that need to be in place to provide high quality early learning environments and provides suggestions for further systems change to address the shortfalls in Ontario’s current FDK program and to continue the transformation into an effective system.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Elaine Beverly Levy
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2651908148