Toronto First Duty: Integrating Kindergarten, Childcare, and Parenting Support to Help Diverse Families Connect to Schools

Resumen de los autores

The focus of this article is a research and development project underway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project is Toronto First Duty, reflecting that the "first duty of a state is to see that every child born therein shall be well-housed, clothed, fed, and educated, till it attain years of discretion," according to 19th century British social reformer John Rushkin. This quote provided the title for the city's strategy for supporting young children through six years of age. Toronto First Duty's innovation lies in its approach of integrating early childhood services in a school-as-hub model through local collaboration among professional groups and agencies. The primary services are Kindergarten, childcare, and parenting supports with child health, preschool readiness, family mental health, special needs services, recreation, family literacy, and other programs included at most sites. The project is also designed to inform higher-level policies at the municipal and provincial levels. It is currently operating in five pilot sites in the Toronto District School Board; the sites include the local school and a large group of community partner agencies. An infrastructure system to support the project came together through the City of Toronto's Municipal government, the school board, and the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, which supports social causes such as early learning and care. (Contains 6 figures.)

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Pelletier, J., & Corter, C. (2005). Toronto First Duty: Integrating Kindergarten, Childcare, and Parenting Support to Help Diverse Families Connect to Schools. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ759620