Legally, kids do not have to attend school full-time until the fall of the calendar year in which they turn six (regardless of whether they were born in January or December, it's the calendar year that counts.) That means JK and SK are both optional, though highly recommended, programs. In practical terms, boards did not have to offer JK at all until quite recently. One of the debates that went on when Mike Harris was combining school boards across the province was that each new board would be forced to adopt all the programs that either board had offered previously. For example, Wentworth Board did not offer JK but did have extensive busing; Hamilton offered JK but used fewer school buses, mostly by paying for HSR passes for its high school kids. I believe 1997 was the amalgamation year, so many school boards would have gotten JK the following year that had never had it before.
Summary: 1) It's not a legal requirement, so some people skip it or take their kids out of it; 2) it started to be offered more consistently, to the point where I believe every school board is now required to offer it (though you may want to check that with the Ministry of Education.)
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Date: 2006-07-11 10:33 pm (UTC)Summary: 1) It's not a legal requirement, so some people skip it or take their kids out of it; 2) it started to be offered more consistently, to the point where I believe every school board is now required to offer it (though you may want to check that with the Ministry of Education.)