Ce lien vous amènera au site web du MEQ où vous pourrez trouver le programme d'éducation préscolaire en français.

This link will bring you to the MEQ web site where you will find the program and other resources in English.

Mandate of the Preschool Cycle Program

With the intention of promoting school success, the mandate of preschool education is as follows: 

• To foster the global development of all children:
  • Provide a reassuring, welcoming and inclusive environment
  • Cultivate enjoyment through exploration, discovery and learning
  • Lay the foundations for future schooling
• To take preventive action:
  • Provide universal prevention activities
  • Provide targeted prevention activities

Fostering the global development of all children refers to allowing them to grow in every area: physical, motor, emotional, social, language and cognitive development. It is vital that all areas of development be accorded equal importance and be dealt with in synergy. 

Taking preventive action means taking a careful look at each child to support their global development in terms of their maturity, their pace and their needs.

With the child at the centre of the focus, there is strong emphasis on collaboration between school, family and community, recognition of the cultural dimension, planning smooth transitions, and recognition of he teacher's expertise.  

Program Orientations​ 

More details and resources can be found in this website by selecting these orientations in the menu of the left.

• Learning Through Play 

Play is the ideal way for children to learn and develop their full potential. A rich environment where children initiate play, especially symbolic play, with support from an adult, will allow them to explore, create, improvise, portray a role, manipulate and so on. Through play, children activate a sensorimotor and affective memory, acquire knowledge and concepts, structure their thoughts and expand their understanding of the world around them. Sufficient time and space should be set aside for each child to be actively engaged in play. Therefore, children should have two periods of between 45 and 60 minutes of free play every day and should be permitted to choose with whom and what they will play

• Observation of the Child’s Progress

Observing children’s progress requires paying attention to what is happening and what the children’s words and actions reveal. Observation helps teachers identify the children’s skills, knowledge, learning, interests, questions, attitudes, behaviours, processes, strategies and needs. Free play provides favourable opportunities to observe children and their interactions in a natural context. Observations made while children are carrying out activities in their zone of proximal development can help adults determine whether a child needs additional support and to provide the tools to foster development. Teachers interpret their observations using their knowledge of global child development, the program and their professional judgment. 

• Classroom Organization 

The classroom must be physically adapted to the needs of 4- to 6-year-old children and be both safe and easily accessible. It should be organized in such a way as to foster the children’s participation and encourage them to explore different types of play. Children should find a wide range of stimulating, diversified and adaptable materials, available in sufficient quantities, which they can use alone, in pairs, in small groups or as a class. The classroom, the gym, the schoolyard and the outdoor environment are all places where children can grow in every area of development.

Excerpts taken directly from the MEQ Preschool Cycle Program, 2021.