Schools selected will offer full-day, every day program beginning September 2010
The Halton District School Board is pleased to have received approval from the Ministry of Education to provide full-day early learning at 11 school sites beginning in September 2010. The program, known as the Early Learning Program (ELP), will be implemented in all schools over the next five years.
The Board was allocated 36 classes for the first year of implementation, providing full-day early learning for 936 students (approximately 15% of four and five-year old students).
The school sites approved for the first year of the Early Learning Program are: P.L. Robertson Public School and Escarpment View Public School in Milton; King’s Road Public School, Mohawk Gardens Public School, Tom Thomson Public School, and Lakeshore Public School in Burlington; W.H. Morden Public School, Abbey Lane Public School, and Oakwood Public School in Oakville, as well as the new schools currently under construction in the Clearview and Palermo neighbourhoods.
The Halton District School Board submitted its short-list of schools to the Ministry of Education in late November. Since no capital funding is provided in the first year of implementation, the Board’s criteria in selecting these schools included whether there was available space within the school, the degree of need within the local community, the impact on the local Catholic board and regional child care, and identified needs in the Board Improvement Plan.
“We are very pleased with the announcement of the schools for the first year of implementation of the ELP, ” says Mark Zonneveld, Superintendent of Education, who has responsibility for the implementation of the Early Learning Program. “This exciting new program will enhance learning for our students.”
“We know parents will have many questions and encourage them to check the Halton District School Board website regularly for new information during this first year of implementation.