Ontario kindergarten: What changed, what didn’t and why it matters

A kindergarten classroom at an elementary school in Toronto in January 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Ontario kindergarten: What changed, what didn’t and why it matters Published: June 22, 2026 10.33am EDT Share article Print article If your child is starting Ontario kindergarten in September, you have likely come across the headlines over the past year and a half about the “new kindergarten curriculum.” The province first announced this revised curriculum in January 2024, titling its announcement “Ontario Unveils a Back-to-Basics Kindergarten Curriculum.” Some headlines also used the “back to basics” language. However, the revised 2026 kindergarten curriculum is an update to the 2016 program, not a replacement of its foundational approach. Play-based learning, inquiry and the whole-child framework are all retained. What is new is a set of explicit literacy expectations grounded in literacy research, a more formal tiered support model and several new curriculum areas. As researchers concerned with early childhood education and early literacy, and who also bring applied kindergarten teaching experience, we explain the changes and what they mean here, drawing on a detailed comparison of both curriculum documents. Read more: Starting kindergarten soon? Summer is a perfect time to support your child’s early literacy learning How do educators use curriculum? A curriculum is a policy document that describes the knowledge and skills students are expected to develop. It gives educators a framework and a set of expectations, and allows them to use their professional judgment about how to meet those expectations. It does not give lesson plans or instructions that educators follow step by step. In Ontario kindergarten classrooms with more than 16 students, an educator team is made up of an Ontario certified teacher and early childhood educator who work as partners to support your child’s learning. Read more: A team approach makes full-day kindergarten a success In addition, educators monitor each student’s progress through ongoing assessments and observations and adapt lessons and materials appropriately. The curriculum shapes the intention behind these choices, but it doesn’t tell them how to reach learning outcomes. The 2026 kindergarten curriculum introduces explicit systematic reading instruction. (Ryan Wallace/Unsplash) Why the literacy change was necessary The most substantive content change in the 2026 kindergarten curriculum is the…