08-08-16  Hourly programme for reformed all-day kindergartens

In the context of a bold reform programme, the education ministry has for the first time established uniform all-day kindergartens nationwide, with a view to satisfying the needs of Greek families and working parents.

The uniform all-day kindergarten is a comprehensive proposal of the education ministry, aiming at a balanced and multi-faceted development of children between four and six years old. The hourly programme upgrades the paedagogical and educational role of kindergartens, and for the first time ensures the framework of hourly teaching schedule of kindergarten teachers.

Until now, kindergartens operated as follows:

• Either with the classic 8 am to 12:30 pm schedule with the so-called classic section programme (If parents wanted an all-day kindergarten, the child had to register at another kindergarten, which may have been located in a different area), or as an all-day kindergarten operating between 8am to 4pm.
• Between 8:15 am and 3:45 pm kindergartens followed an “all-day section programme” which began in the morning and ended in the afternoon, and one activity was the continuation of the previous one. The student was obliged to leave at 4 pm. However, upon the application of parents, the education ministry with various encyclicals over the last years allowed the early departure of students, who could leave at 2 pm or some other time.

That regime, however, undermined the philosophy of the all-day kindergarten. Parents used various methods, such as doctors’ notes, in order to pick up their kindergarten and primary school children at the same hour.

Some schools had one “classic section” and another all-day section, in which case each had to have its own separate programme. In recent years there was an uneven number of students at each type of kindergarten, so mixed sections were established by necessity. For example, in a two-teacher kindergarten (one classic and one all-day), one had 20 children in the all-day regime and 30 in the classic one, or vice versa. That necessitated the creation of two mixed classes, but without a distinct programme for mixed classes. For some children the school day ended at 2 pm and for others at 4 pm. So the question arose, with what programme did this kindergarten operate, given the fact that a mixed programme had not been established?

Finally, there were one-teacher kindergartens that operated with a mixed schedule, but without an institutionalised programme. For example, of 20 enrolled students, 10 were under a classic programme and left at 2 pm and another 10 were under an all-day programme and left at 4pm.

What changes with the Uniform All-Day Kindergarten

1. Under the new arrangement, a student is enrolled in a neighbourhood kindergarten, and if they want an all-day programme, they leave at 4 pm.

1. There will be a uniform programme in all classes. The education ministry proposed and the Institute for Education Policy fashioned a basic, mandatory programme for all sections and all students, from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, and in addition an optional programme for students who wanted to attend the all-day programme, from 1 pm to 4 pm. In addition, an optional morning schedule, from 7:45 am to 8:30 am is established for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten children whose parents are working.

1. As of September, the kindergarten schedule ends at  1pm and the primary school at 1:15 PM (until now, the kindergarten day ended  between 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm, depending on the type of school, and primary schools, depending on the type, finished at either 12:25 pm, or 1:15 pm, OR 2 pm).  

Advantagesoftheuniformkindergarten

1. All kindergartens become potentially all-day. All kindergartens are given the opportunity to operate on an all-day schedule, so as to avoid having students move to another kindergarten elsewhere, which occurred until now.
2. There is harmonisation of the start and finish times of kindergartens and primary schools , thus satisfying a basic need of Greek families.
3. It ensures operation of an all-day programme from 1 pm to 4 pm, even with a minimal number of kindergartners and pre-kindergarten children – five for one-teacher kindergartens, 10 for two-teacher kindergartens, and 14 for three-teacher and up kindergartens.
4. It ensures creation of sections with a similar number of students as regards gender, age, and particular educational needs (until now the distribution was based on the parents’ preference for either the classic or all-day programme).
5. The hourly programme at kindergartens is reformed so as to remedy the problems of mixed schedule schools. The previous two separate programmes are merged to create a uniform programme for all kindergartens – with a mandatory 8:30 am to 1 pm schedule, and an optional 1 pm to 4 pm schedule.
6. It resolves the problem of students leaving school earlier than their programme ended, which spoiled the programme and transformed schools into a holding ground for children. A very large number of students in all-day programmes left early.
7. The time allotted to kindergarten teachers for planning activities, and for pursuing more effective organisation and administrative duties is increased.
8. The hourly schedule of kindergartens is linked to the weekly programme.
9. An early arrival schedule for kindergartens and primary schools is established between 7:45 am and 8:30 am, to serve the needs of working parents.
10. The need for uniform planning of the 14-year mandatory education programme, including kindergartens, is satisfied.

The hourly programme of the uniform all-day kindergarten is available at the link below. The second link provides the teaching schedule of educators.

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