Ontario's new JK/SK curriculum takes effect this September, and the shift toward explicit literacy instruction changes what effective early-years tutoring looks like.
What Is Changing in Canadian Education
Ontario's Ministry of Education released the new Kindergarten Curriculum (2026) in December 2025, replacing the version that had been in place since 2016. It takes effect in the 2026-2027 school year, and it marks a clear philosophical shift: evidence-based, systematic, and explicit instruction in foundational skills now sits at the centre of JK and SK learning, alongside the play-based framework Ontario educators know well.
The most visible change is in literacy. Where the 2016 curriculum took a broader approach to language development, the 2026 document introduces specific expectations for phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and early decoding. Children in JK and SK will now progress through the science of reading in a structured, intentional way. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has publicly called for the Ministry to provide adequate professional learning time before the September rollout, with ETFO President David Mastin noting that educators "need professional learning to guide their lesson planning and instructional practices" and deserve more than a webinar and a set of slides.
By the Numbers
- 74 per cent of Ontario Grade 3 students met the provincial reading standard in the 2024-2025 EQAO assessment, pointing to persistent early literacy gaps the new curriculum aims to close.
- The 2026 curriculum introduces explicit expectations for phonemic awareness, including segmenting and blending individual sounds, for the first time in Ontario kindergarten.
- The curriculum is organized into four strands: Belonging and Contributing; Self-Regulation and Well-Being; Foundations of Language and Mathematics; and Problem Solving and Innovating.
- ETFO represents over 83,000 elementary public school teachers across Ontario and was not given adequate time to review draft curriculum documents before publication.
What This Means for Your Tutoring Sessions
If you tutor JK or SK students, you are likely already fielding questions from families about school readiness and early literacy gaps. Starting September 2026, those conversations will be shaped by a curriculum that expects children to enter Grade 1 with a clear foundation in letter-sound relationships, phoneme segmentation, and early decoding. That is a higher bar than many families, and some students, are prepared to meet without targeted support.
For tutors working with older primary students who struggled in their early years, this curriculum change is also worth understanding. The explicit literacy sequence the new curriculum begins in JK is the same foundation that older struggling readers often missed. Tracing a gap back to its origin helps you address it systematically rather than patching symptoms grade by grade.
Practical Implications
- Families may ask you to help their JK/SK child practise letter sounds and phoneme blending as direct preparation for school expectations from September onward.
- Your early primary students (Grades 1 to 3) who struggle with decoding may be missing phonemic awareness skills the new curriculum will now build from JK.
- Session planning for young learners should include short, focused explicit instruction segments, not just guided reading or shared reading alone.
- Expect more parent questions about where their child sits on the phonics progression, not just general reading levels.
Strategies That Work
Explicit literacy instruction does not mean abandoning play. The 2026 curriculum is clear that both coexist. The challenge for tutors is knowing how to structure sessions that honour the intentionality the new curriculum requires without losing the warmth and curiosity that makes young learners engage.
- Start with a phoneme warm-up. Spend the first five to seven minutes of each session on one targeted phonemic awareness skill: clapping syllables, blending onset and rime, or segmenting a four-phoneme word. This is short enough for JK and SK attention spans and directly mirrors the new curriculum's expectations. Research on early literacy consistently shows that focused phoneme practice done daily accelerates decoding acquisition.
- Use decodable texts strategically. Once a child has 10 to 15 letter-sound correspondences, introduce short decodable readers that practice only those sounds. This is different from levelled readers, which often contain irregular high-frequency words before students are ready. The 2026 curriculum's emphasis on evidence-based instruction aligns directly with the decodable text approach.
- Teach phonemic awareness before phonics. A common tutor error is moving too quickly to phonics (letter-sound correspondence on the page) before the child can manipulate sounds in speech. If a student cannot blend three phonemes orally, slow down and build that skill before introducing print. The new curriculum sequences these skills intentionally and following that sequence produces better outcomes.
- Make phonological awareness visible through play. For younger children, clay or counters for each phoneme in a word, magnetic letters for sound sorting, or simple card games that isolate rhyming pairs all reinforce explicit instruction through hands-on practice. Play-based consolidation is not the opposite of explicit instruction. It is how young children make the learning stick.
- Log your session observations and share them with parents. Families are increasingly aware of literacy benchmarks as the new curriculum rolls out. A brief written note after each session positions you as a professional partner and reflects the progress-monitoring culture the 2026 curriculum promotes.
Resources for Canadian Educators
- Ontario Ministry of Education, Kindergarten Programme: the official 2026 curriculum document with expectations, frameworks, and supporting documentation. dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/kindergarten
- ETFO professional learning hub: ongoing webinars, resource libraries, and union guidance on the rollout. etfo.ca/professional-learning
- People for Education: independent research on Ontario school outcomes, including annual reports on literacy and early years instruction. peopleforeducation.ca
- International Dyslexia Association, Ontario branch: phonemic awareness and structured literacy resources aligned with the science of reading. ontariobida.org
Tutoring with Connect Education
Connect Education is a certified-only tutoring platform connecting qualified educators with families across Canada for virtual and in-person sessions. If you are an Ontario-certified teacher looking for flexible tutoring work as the new school year approaches, this is a strong time to come on board. Families with JK and SK children are actively seeking educators who understand the new curriculum and can help their children build the foundational literacy skills it now formally requires.
Learn more and apply at connect-education.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest change in the Ontario 2026 kindergarten curriculum?
The most significant change is the introduction of explicit, systematic instruction in literacy, particularly phonological and phonemic awareness. The 2016 curriculum emphasized emergent literacy within a play-based framework. The 2026 curriculum keeps play-based learning but adds structured, evidence-based reading instruction as a formal expectation for JK and SK students.
How does the 2026 kindergarten curriculum affect tutoring for younger primary students?
Children currently in Grades 1 to 3 did not experience the new curriculum's explicit phonics sequence. If a student you tutor is struggling with decoding, the gap may trace back to missing phonemic awareness skills. Understanding the 2026 curriculum's sequence helps tutors identify those gaps and address them systematically, regardless of the student's current grade.
Do I need to change how I plan tutoring sessions for JK and SK students?
Yes, in small but meaningful ways. The new curriculum expects children to work on phoneme segmentation, blending, and letter-sound correspondence through intentional instruction, not just through exposure to books and language-rich environments. Short, focused phonemic awareness practice at the start of each session, followed by play-based consolidation, aligns well with what families and schools will now expect.
Sources
CBC News: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-releases-new-kindergarten-curriculum-9.7021446
Ontario Ministry of Education: https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/kindergarten
