Kindergarten across Canada

Start with your province or territory

The Government of Ontario says kindergarten is a free two-year programme for 4- and 5-year-old children, and that when children turn 6 they must attend school in September of that year. If you live in Ontario, use that page for eligibility rather than a summary. If you live elsewhere in Canada, use your own ministry or school board. Quebec, British Columbia and other provinces organise the early years differently, and we are not going to invent a page for each of them.

A friend in another province can be right about their school and wrong about yours. Ask your board when a child may start, whether the programme is full-day, and how to register. Those are local facts.

The practical first weeks

Whatever the legal age, the first weeks go more smoothly with a repeatable morning, a short goodbye, and a plan for the tired unravel afterwards. Teach the words the school uses. Ask who greets your child and how you will hear if they are struggling. If your child has additional needs, tell the school before the first day so support is not an emergency.

Sleep and a predictable evening still matter. The Canadian Paediatric Society’s Caring for Kids sleep handout is general health information, not a kindergarten admissions rule. Use it if nights are part of the strain, and use your school board for the start date.

What you can say

• Ontario’s dates are Ontario’s. We will check our own province.
• I’ll walk you to the educator, say goodbye, and be there at the end of the day.
• A wobbly first week does not mean you are not ready to be at school.

What you can try

• Open your province or territory’s kindergarten page and your school board’s registration dates.
• If you are in Ontario, read the provincial kindergarten page for the two-year programme and the age-6 attendance point.
• Practise the morning and the goodbye.
• Tell the school about health or support needs before day one.

Easy to miss

• “Canadian kindergarten” is not one programme.
• Ontario’s 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten is not a national standard.
• We do not publish city versions of this page. The meaningful difference is the province, territory or board.

When to seek more support

• Contact your school board about registration, transportation and support plans.
• Speak to your child’s doctor or a public health nurse if you are worried about development, anxiety or sleep before school starts.
• If drop-off distress continues long after you leave, ask the educator for a plan rather than waiting the whole year.

Further reading

These are public sources we used as background. They are not a review of this page, and they are not Everyday Parent partners.

• Kindergarten — Government of Ontario
• Healthy sleep for your baby and child — Canadian Paediatric Society, Caring for Kids
• Parenting — UNICEF