A study commissioned by the provincial government is recommending more education for Ontario's youngest students, including full-day, all week schooling for four and five-year-olds.

The report was released yesterday and recommends the option of two years of full-day, all week schooling for all students before they reach Grade 1. The report outlined that the program would be instituted in some schools as early as September 2010, and in all schools in the province in the next three years.

It also recommended that elementary schools become centralized learning hubs for early childhood education. It called for programming to be available before and after regular school hours for students from ages six to 12. A similar fee-based program would be available for younger students, and could mean children could be at schools from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., if the demand is high enough from parents. Programs could also be offered during traditional summer holidays and March Break. Parents would have the option as to whether their children would attend the full day or just part of the school day.

Simcoe County District School Board programming superintendent Lindy Zaretsky said it is still too early to know how the report will affect the local board.

She said the board is already addressing early childhood education and knows the value it can have for student achievement.

"We know that investing in early learning improves outcomes for students. We look forward to hearing more details from the ministry about how this proposal will be supported and implemented," she said.

The Simcoe County public board already has childcare centres in several local schools, including Ferndale Woods Elementary School and Oakley Park Elementary School in Barrie.

It's not known how many of the report's recommendations the province will implement, but it could cost the government up to a $1 billion per year. The province has not indicated which schools would get the new programming first, but the report recommends that schools located in impoverished areas take priority.

Some people aren't convinced full-day schooling is the best option for young students.

Barrie mom Sarah Bowers has two young children. Four-year-old Sadie is already going to school every other day, and Bowers notices the difference.

"She's pooched when she gets home, and she naps on the opposite days - on her own," said Bowers. "It's a long enough day for her now, when she's been going for a full year.

"I can't imagine what it would be like if she was there every day (from the start). That would have been a lot to handle."

The one benefit to having children in school fulltime for some parents is that it alleviates daycare costs.

"That's a big point for a lot of parents, because day care is expensive," said Bowers.

Terry Fox Elementary School principal Brian Tremain said the fulltime option would benefit some families.

"We have four Kindergarten classrooms a day. This could double that number," he said. "Right now we have two groups, those who are in other full day programs, and those who aren't. This will be a great opportunity for the little ones who may not get a chance to socialize, to do so more often."

Terry Fox has just over 800 students, and one of the largest number of Kindergarten students in the region.