The Grande Prairie Public School Division is expanding its KinderPAL programming as of the upcoming fall. The program provides students with a full day at school, half of that consists of learning and the other involves both learning and play.
James Robinson, Deputy Superintendent with the GPPSD says that feedback on the kids’ program has been very positive from parents, educators, and principals who facilitate the programming in different schools.
“We introduced KinderPAL during the current year as a pilot program in six of our sites. Based on all that positive feedback we received, we made the decision to expand the program to our other sites.”
13 of 15 GPPSD schools will offer the KinderPAL program as of the 2022-2023 school year. Robinson says the interest from the community sparked the idea.
“People were looking for an increase in quality learning experiences for their children. We knew the interest was there from parents and we also knew our ability to facilitate it was there as well,” he says.
The biggest impact it continues to make for kids is that being part of the program helps them be more ready to make that jump from Kindergarten to grade 1.
“Students in Kindergarten in the province of Alberta have a half time of enrollment programming relative to what the other grade levels are. KinderPAL fills that other half of the day with a structured play and learning plan that’s offered by a certified Early Childhood Educator,” he says.
The program costs $350 per month per student and it is structured to be as affordable as possible for parents. The schools slated to offer the program this upcoming fall are Alexander Forbes School, Aspen Grove School, Avondale School, Crystal Park School, Derek Taylor Public School, École Montrose (French Immersion), Hillside Community School, Isabel Campbell Public School, I.V. Macklin Public School, Maude Clifford Public School, Riverstone Public School, Roy Bickell Public School, and Swanavon School.
For more information on KinderPAL, visit the GPPSD website.
