EARLY YEARS PLAN OVERVIEW

The Government of Saskatchewan focuses on offering the best options for early childhood education to students and parents as outlined in this framework’s five pillars. These include:

1. Healthy beginnings.

2. Early learning.

3. Child care.

4. Strong families, and healthy children.

5. Community planning and alignment.

• In regards to early learning the province’s overarching goal is to ensure children “benefit from high quality early learning, developmentally appropriate practices and engaging supportive relationships.” (Early Year Plan. 2016.) The government plans to uphold this objective by promoting play based activities and learning, providing parents with information on how to chose the best educational route for their children and increasing the availability of kindergarten and preschools for families living in more remote areas.

Conservative Party of Saskatchewan:

Saskatchewan struggles with having the 3rd lowest literacy scores for children in public schools. The conservative party has acknowledged this problem and promises to put 1% of the Province’s Sales Tax towards their “Early Development Program” to ensure the child’s educational needs are being met. Saskatchewan offers both full and half day kindergarten and the party highlights the importance of full day kindergarten and are opposed to half day. Overall, the party supports the collection and release of data to track the progress being made to ensure voters that the Conservative Party is taking this matter seriously. Additionally, they continue to endorse elementary school policies such as:

1. Ensuring public funds go to public schools only
2. Take politics out of the classroom as it is the parent’s right to choose if their child should be exposed to this.
3. Implement a breakfast and lunch program.

ECE certifications:

3 Categories of ECE certifications:

• ECE level I
• ECE level II