Early Childhood Services (ECS), refers to programming offered by school authorities before compulsory schooling that meets the diverse needs of young children and their families.
Pre-Kindergarten refers to the two years of educational programming before Kindergarten.
Kindergarten is part of the ECS continuum of programs and refers specifically to the education program for children in the year before Grade 1.
In ECS programs, young children participate as active learners within developmentally appropriate learning experiences and develop knowledge, understanding and skills that lay the foundation for subsequent learning.