Rollout of kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds - 60 new kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds in the english- language school boards

QUÉBEC CITY, Feb. 12, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Christopher Skeete, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers, announced today that 60 new kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds will be opening in the English school system in the 2020-2021 school year. This brings the total number to 171.

Kindergarten classes for children from the age of 4 is a non-compulsory service made available to families with the passage of Bill 5 in 2019. It is being phased in gradually in schools across Québec.

The Preschool Education Program for 4-Year-Olds is intended to facilitate the global development of all children in that age bracket by offering them challenges adapted to their needs and interests in a context where the focus is on play.

Quotes:

"Next September, 350 new kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds will open in schools across Québec, bringing the total number of such classes to 1 010. Public enthusiasm over the last school year proves that this new service meets a genuine need. I am confident that students attending kindergarten for 4-year-olds will find themselves in a stimulating environment where they will have the support they need to learn the strategies that will enable them to feel valued and better equipped for further schooling."

Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Education and Higher Education

"Kindergarten for 4-year-olds will enable all children to develop their full potential and help identify students with special needs as early as possible. I am delighted with the number of classes that have been added in the English school system. This is great news not only for parents but, first and foremost, for all the children who will benefit from this service, which is adapted to their age and level of development."

Christopher Skeete, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers

Key points:

• Registration is now open for classes in the 2020-2021 school year.
• While the first classes were offered to students in disadvantaged areas, all children in the appropriate age bracket are now eligible for kindergarten for 4-year-olds.
• The principle of universal access to kindergarten for 4-year-olds is intended to expand the range of educational services offered and to complement the existing educational childcare services.
• This new service is being phased in gradually in schools across Québec. The objective is to ensure that, five years from now, all parents who wish to do so will be able to enrol their children in full-time kindergarten for 4-year-olds.

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur

Francis Bouchard, Press attaché to the Minister of Education and Higher Education, 438-921-9337