Up to half of B.C. children will start full-day kindergarten in September, and by 2011, all boards of education in the province will be required to offer it. Marilyn Chapman, director of the Institute for Early Childhood Education & Research in UBC’s Faculty of Education, is the lead author of the new guide for full-day kindergarten.
Read more about Chapman’s involvement with the new program guide here: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2010/08/05/kids-to-put-in-a-full-day/
As full-day kindergarten is inaugurated in classrooms across B.C., Chapman and other UBC experts in early childhood development are available to comment.
UBC Experts
Marilyn Chapman, Director of the Institute for Early Childhood Education & Research, Faculty of Education
Tel: 604.822.9065; Email: marilyn.chapman@ubc.ca
“I hope the full-day fromat is more playful, more fun, and more stimulating and interesting for children in kindergarten. We’re giving them more time to play because the research supports providing opportunities for children to learn through their senses, by learning how to manipulate things, and extended dialogue.”
Wendy Hall, Professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
Tel: 604.822.7447; Email: wendy.hall@nursing.ubc.ca
“Full-day kindergarten has many benefits for children’s intellectual stimulation and for two-earner families where parents must have child care in place prior to or following part-day kindergarten.”
“For some children, sleep may be a casualty of full-day kindergarten. Up to 25 per cent of five year-olds may be napping several days a week—making up sleep due to shorter sleep duration at night. Children who have problems with sleep often manifest a wide range of problems, including disturbed mood, emotional difficulties, behavior problems, and difficulty performing cognitive tasks.”
Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, Faculty of Education
Tel: 604.822.2215; Email: kimschon@interchange.ubc.ca
“Research has shown that social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment in young children is as important for school success as cognitive and academic preparedness. Indeed, there is an abundance of research indicating an inextricable link between children’s social and emotional competence and their academic success.
“A growing number of children are entering school lacking many of the social and emotional skills they need to be successful. Strengthening young children’s capacity to manage and understand their emotions and the emotions of others, and to make meaningful and supportive relationships with both peers and teachers, should play a central role in the early school years, and particularly during kindergarten.”
Also available for comment:
Paul Kershaw, Assistant Professor at the Human Early Learning Partnership, College for Interdisciplinary Studies
Tel: 604.827.5393; Email: paul.kershaw@ubc.ca
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