Welcome to Kindergarten!

Kindergarten is a time of wonder, awe and learning! It is an exciting time for children and their families and represents a major threshold in a child’s life at a critical stage of development. In Kindergarten, children’s receptivity to new influences and their capacity to learn are at their peak. During this period they acquire a variety of important skills, knowledge and attitudes that will affect their abilities to learn, their personal development, their relationships with others and their future participation in society. The Toronto Catholic District School Board is dedicated to nurturing the young child spiritually, academically, physically, socially, and emotionally through a faith-based curriculum in a caring, Catholic environment.

• Downloadable booklet: "Welcome Hello...Kindergarten in the Toronto Catholic District School Board"

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Our Philosophy

In our Kindergartens:

• We celebrate the wonder and awe of childhood as a trace of God.

• We encourage the development of the whole child.

• We offer developmentally appropriate programming to meet the varying experiences, backgrounds, abilities and needs of all children.

• We believe in purposeful play as the main vehicle to promote all aspects of learning.

• We create healthy learning environments that are safe, secure, stimulating and thoughtfully planned with the child in mind.

• We encourage learning through exploring, playing, talking, risk-taking, problem solving and making choices.

• We use a variety of instructional strategies with the whole class, small groups and individuals.

• We provide experiences that build a strong foundation for literacy and numeracy development.

• We apply ongoing, authentic assessment practices to inform programming and improve learning.

• We welcome parents and caregivers as valued partners in their children’s education.

• We foster partnerships between home, school, parish and the larger community.

A Focus on Faith: In God’s Image

In Kindergarten, we affirm the child in all aspects of growth as we celebrate the wonder of childhood as a trace of God. In God’s Image is the Canadian religious education resource for Kindergarten. It provides an approach to religious education that nurtures and affirms the four and five year old child emotionally, socially, intellectually, morally and physically through song, prayer, activities and symbols. In God’s Image contains eight modules: Me, Earth Times, Special Days, Church Times, Community, Plants, Animals and Changes. A number of more specific themes are contained in each module. These themes are presented throughout both Junior and Senior Kindergarten.

The Kindergarten Program

The Toronto Catholic District School Board offers both Junior and Senior Kindergarten. The programs are based on educational policy and expectations as outlined in The Revised Kindergarten Program (Ministry of Education, 2006) combined with sound pedagogy and current research on exemplary Kindergarten practices. Children are provided opportunities for growth in six areas of learning: Personal and Social Development, Language, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Health and Physical Activity and the Arts. The revised Kindergarten Program document is available at www.edu.gov.on.ca.

Kindergarten Registration

Your local Catholic school provides opportunities for spiritual and academic growth through a diverse range of programs and services geared to meet the needs of each learner. The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites parents to register their children for Junior and Senior Kindergarten and French Immersion Senior Kindergarten beginning in February each year.  

For September 2008:

• Children born in 2004 are eligible for Junior Kindergarten
• Children born in 2003 are eligible for Senior Kindergarten and French Immersion Senior Kindergarten.

The following documents are required:

1.      Child’s birth certificate (certificate of citizenship or landed immigrant status)

2.      Child’s Catholic Baptismal Certificate (or other proof of Catholicity)

3.      Child’s Ontario Health Card

4.      Child’s Immunization Record

5.      Proof of residency in Toronto  

Call your local Catholic school for an appointment.
If you are unsure about your eligibility to attend a TCDSB school, contact the admissions department at 222-8282 ext. 5320. 

• Registration Information

• 2008 Information Poster

• Listing of TCDSB schools by region

Staggered Entry

The Toronto Catholic District School Board supports an effective planning entry-to-school approach for the benefit of all children, families and staff. Staggered entry-to-school is an approach that is respectful of the varying needs, experiences and backgrounds of all children and their families. It assists children in their adjustment to the school setting in a successful and positive manner. Children are introduced to school in small groups over the course of a few days until all children are in attendance. The Kindergarten teacher in collaboration with the parent/guardian decides what is best for the child. This is determined at an initial classroom orientation session in which the child along with the parent/guardian visits the classroom and school and meets the Kindergarten teacher.

Preparing Children for a Successful Start to School

It is natural that starting school can cause mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety for children and families. Before beginning this new adventure, parents/guardians can prepare their child by:

• Visiting the school during an open house, Education week or other special   event.

• Visiting the Kindergarten classroom and meeting the teacher.

• Involving the child in activities that promote learning in the community (e.g., local library programs, The Ontario Early Years Centres).

• Talking positively about school and school-related activities.

• Reading and discussing books about school and making new friends.

• Walking or driving to school before the first day to practice the route.

• Talking through any fears or concerns about starting school.

• Establishing a routine a few weeks before beginning school.  

Parents are encouraged to speak to their child’s teacher if there any concerns or questions regarding adjustment to school. 

Parents/guardians can support a successful transition from home to school by ensuring that their child:

• Dresses in clothes that are easily managed, comfortable, labeled with his/her name and appropriate for the weather
• Manages dressing and undressing himself/herself (e.g., putting on and taking off jackets and shoes)
• Responds to his/her name
• Attends to his/her own toileting needs
• Respects other people and materials
• Has an early, regular bedtime and is well-rested
• Brings a small, healthy (peanut-free) snack for school each day
• Understands daily arrival and dismissal procedures
• Arrives on time for school each day.

Parents as Partners 
Evidence indicates that quality Kindergarten programs involve parents, guardians or other primary caregivers of young children. The following publications provide ideas on how parents, guardians and families can support learning at home. 

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Positive Parenting  (PDF)

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Raising Readers and Writers (PDF)

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Listening & Talking: A Balancing Act (PDF)

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Tell Me a Story (PDF)

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Nutrition Matters  (PDF)

• Home Links Kindergarten Newsletter: Keeping Learning Alive in Summer (PDF)

The Welcome to Kindergartenä Program 
The Toronto Catholic District School Board is please to be working with the Learning Partnership in offering the Welcome to Kindergartenä Program in 62 schools across the system. 

The goal of the Welcome to Kindergartenä Program is to provide pre-school children with the resources and experiences to begin their formal education with a foundation in literacy nurtured in their home. Before starting school, parents/caregivers and their children are invited to attend an orientation sessions in their neighbourhood school where they receive a variety of early literacy resources in a canvas bag (e.g., magnetic letters and numbers, books, crayons, scissors, glue, paper, play dough and more) and learn strategies for using the resources. The orientation sessions are provided by school staff in conjunction with community partners. 

The Welcome to Kindergartenä Program is financially supported through various sources including board funds and local Catholic School Advisory Councils. Some schools are also sponsored by the TD Bank Financial Group. 

The following schools will be offering the program this spring: 

The Early Development Instrument
The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a checklist completed by teachers that assesses children’s readiness to learn at school in five domains: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills. The purpose of the EDI is to report on populations or groups of children in different communities (e.g., at the riding level, the neighbourhood level and school level). It is intended to help communities assess how well they are doing in supporting children and families and assist in monitoring changes. 

In the Spring of 2005, the Toronto Catholic District School Board implemented the EDI in Senior Kindergarten system-wide. It was supported by the Ministry of Child and Youth Services. This year is the first year that EDI data is available for all Senior Kindergarten Students in Toronto. A final report is available on the following website http://www.torontodacs.net. Community information is also available.

The Full Day Senior Kindergarten Program

In 2004, the Toronto Catholic District School Board initiated a pilot program offering full day, every day Senior Kindergarten in seven schools across the system. This comprehensive program is based on The Kindergarten Program (Ministry of Education, 2006), Toronto Catholic District School Board policies and resources and current research on exemplary Kindergarten practices. The program is built upon three essential cornerstones: student support, teacher support and parent support. The goals of The Full Day Senior Kindergarten Program are to:

• Provide an exemplary full day Senior Kindergarten program that will help children develop morally, intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically in a manner appropriate to their age and stage of development
• Ensure that children leave Senior Kindergarten with a stronger foundation of literacy and numeracy skills
• Integrate concepts of health, social and emotional well being into the full day Senior Kindergarten Program
• Enhance children’s feelings of self-worth and appreciation of their own and other people’s ethnicity, culture and language in a multi-cultural society.
• Provide for prevention, early identification and early intervention of problems that interfere with the development of children’s learning through specific programming and a Kindergarten Support Team (consisting of a speech-language pathologists, psychology and social work staff)
• Recognize the value of parents as partners in the education of their children by keeping them well informed, encouraging their input and involvement and providing support as need.
• Establish links with community services as resources and support for children, parents and teachers.

The following schools offer full day Senior Kindergarten programs:

• St. Dorothy Catholic School
• St. Teresa Catholic School
• St. Augustine Catholic School
• Blessed Margherita of Citta di Castello Catholic School
• St. Luigi  Catholic School
• St. Boniface  Catholic School
• St. Thomas More Catholic School

For further information on the Full Day Senior Kindergarten Program, please call the school directly or contact Dolores Cascone, Lead Teacher for Kindergarten and Best Start Initiatives at (416) 222-8282 ext. 2571. 

• The Full Day Senior Kindergarten Program Brochure (pdf)

• Parent News1. The Full Day Senior Kindergarten (PDF)

Kindergarten French Immersion

The aim of the French Immersion program is to provide students with the skills they need to communicate in a second language. It enables students to develop strong fundamental skills in oral communication, reading and writing as well as providing students with an understanding of the cultures of French speaking societies. The Toronto Catholic District School Board offers a French Immersion Senior Kindergarten program at the following schools:

• Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School
• St. Cecilia Catholic School
• St. Cyril Catholic School
• St. Agatha Catholic School
• Our Lady of Peace Catholic School

Information evenings for parents are held at each French Immersion school in February. For dates, times and further information, please contact the French Immersion School nearest you or contact Judith Esser, Coordinator, French as a Second Language at (416) 222-8282 ext. 2540.

• Listing of French immersion schools

• Registration Information

Kindergarten Language Program

The Kindergarten Language Program provides intensive oral language programming to groups of students in Senior Kindergarten who have significant difficulties in speech and language development. The program is preventative with the focus on the enhancement of young children’s oral language development as the foundation for learning, literacy and social development.  Students enrolled in the Kindergarten Language Program attend their home school senior kindergarten program half days and the Kindergarten Language Program two additional half days per week. The Kindergarten Language Program is co-instructed by a teacher and speech-language pathologist. Consultation and support are provided to parents and teachers as needed. The following eight locations offer the Kindergarten Language Program: 

• St. Charles Garnier Catholic School
• St. Matthias Catholic School
• Holy Angels Catholic School
• St. Angela Catholic School
• St. Mary Catholic School
• Blessed John XXIII Catholic School
• Epiphany of Our Lord Academy
• St. Martin de Porres Catholic School

For further information regarding admission and programming, please contact the TCDSB Speech and Language Department at (416) 222-8282 ext. 2261.

Best Start

Best Start is a major redesign in the delivery of services to children and families from birth through Grade One across the province of Ontario.  It is a comprehensive strategy that requires partnerships among Ministries, all levels of government, School Boards, community services and organizations. Best Start involves an expansion of quality and affordable childcare and investments in children’s healthy early development, all in convenient and easily accessible locations for parents within their neighbourhood schools. 

Best Start will ensure that children in Ontario are ready and eager to achieve success in school by the time they start Grade One. In Toronto, Best Start aims to:

• Create a comprehensive system of services that supports children and their families
• Establish access for all children and families to community neighbourhood hubs that are in, or linked to, elementary schools
• Increase access to a variety of early identification and intervention services
• Support parent’s participation in their child’s early learning and development as they pursue work, study, family and community responsibilities.
• Improve learning opportunities for children.

In the Toronto Catholic District School Board, 38 schools have been identified as possible Best Start sites.  

• Best Start Program

• Child Care and Other Services for Young Children