KIDSUP blog
Kindergarten reading readiness in Ottawa: early reading screening and new help from school boards
Ottawa’s two English school boards are offering new reading help to families this November, just as the first early reading screening of the school year wraps up. On November 3, 2026 the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) announced two Literacy at Home websites with games and tips for Kindergarten to Grade 12. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) invites parents of Grade 1–6 students to a Zoom session, “Everyday literacy”, on November 25. Under Ontario policy, the first reading screening for Year 2 Kindergarten to Grade 2 must be finished before mid-November.
Published November 8, 2026. Sources: Ontario Ministry of Education and Ottawa school boards, linked in each section.
The early reading screening calendar
Policy/Program Memorandum 168 requires Ontario’s publicly funded schools to screen every student in Year 2 of Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 each year. The ministry describes early reading screening as “a process of assessing a student’s foundational reading in the early years of school” that helps identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties.
| Screening | First screening | Second screening |
|---|---|---|
| Who | All students in Year 2 Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 | Required for students who did not meet the benchmark the first time, optional for the others |
| Deadline | Before mid-November | By the middle of March |
| Where parents see the result | First Kindergarten Communication of Learning or first Elementary Provincial Report Card, issued between January 20 and February 20 | Second report, issued towards the end of June |
For a child who did not meet the benchmark, the memorandum says results should be shared with parents “in a timely manner to encourage collaboration with the school”. Principals may adjust the timing for a student when it is in the child’s best interest, and parents must be told in advance.
What the OCSB Literacy at Home sites offer
The OCSB Literacy team built one site for Kindergarten to Grade 6 and one for Grades 7 to 12 (OCSB news, November 3, 2026). The K–6 site groups home activities into five building blocks of reading, and the board links both sites from the Parents page of every OCSB school website. A few of the games, in short (OCSB Literacy at Home K–6):
- Phonemic awareness, “Turtle Talk”: say a word slowly, sound by sound, like /sss/uuu/nnn, and the child guesses “sun”.
- Phonics, “Letter Detective”: hide cards with letters or words around the house; the child says the sound or reads the word when they find one.
- Vocabulary, “What’s another word for…”: on a car ride, pick a word like happy and collect as many synonyms as you can together.
- Fluency, reading out loud: a grocery list, a recipe while you cook, a favourite story read again.
- Comprehension, “Picture Walk”: look at the illustrations first and ask what the child thinks will happen.
The site also lists the board’s online reading tools (Gale Elementary, Starfall, Sora and others) and resources for families whose children learn in more than one language. It calls reading screening a “wellness check” for literacy and suggests talking to your child’s language teacher with questions.
OCDSB “Everyday literacy” on November 25
The OCDSB Speaker Series session is a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., for parents and caregivers of Grade 1–6 students. The board’s Literacy Learning Partners will share strategies to build connections between oral language, reading and writing, and quick daily activities for home. Registration is open and space is limited. The board also plans a December session for Kindergarten families on the power of play (OCDSB news, October 28, 2026).
Why it matters before Grade 3
In the 2025–26 EQAO Grade 3 assessment, 75% of fully participating students in English-language schools met the provincial reading standard (EQAO provincial highlights, PDF). We explain those numbers in EQAO Grade 3 results 2026. The screening in Kindergarten and Grades 1–2 is the earliest checkpoint on that path, and the board sites give parents ways to practise the same skills at home.
Children who turn four by December 31, 2027 can start Kindergarten in September 2027, according to the OCSB Kindergarten page. For those families, our kindergarten readiness checklist lists language, early math, fine motor and independence skills to build at 4 and 5.
A five-step plan for November and December
- Ask the teacher two questions: whether the first screening is done, and on which report the result will appear (between January 20 and February 20).
- Choose one building block a week. Ten minutes of a game such as Turtle Talk or Letter Detective fits after dinner.
- Register for the OCDSB webinar on November 25 if your child is in Grades 1–6.
- Read in your home language too. The OCSB site has a section for multilingual learners, and Ontario’s Preparing for kindergarten guide suggests reading stories in the languages you speak at home to help children make connections between languages.
- Use everyday reading. The OCSB fluency page suggests having your child read out loud a grocery list in the car or a recipe while you make dinner.
After school at KIDSUP
Our after school learning program in Kanata runs on weekday afternoons through the school year: snack time, quiet homework time with help when needed, then creative projects and active play. You choose how many days a week.
Request a spot in the after-school program or call 613-867-7786. Tell us your child’s age, school and the weekdays you need.
FAQ: early reading screening in Ottawa
When is the first early reading screening in Ontario?
Policy/Program Memorandum 168 says the first ministry-mandated screening must be completed before mid-November, for all students in Year 2 Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2.
When will parents see the screening result?
In the first Kindergarten Communication of Learning or the first Elementary Provincial Report Card, issued between January 20 and February 20.
What is OCSB Literacy at Home?
Two websites from the Ottawa Catholic School Board, announced on November 3, 2026, with reading and writing activities for families: one for Kindergarten to Grade 6 and one for Grades 7 to 12.
Sources
- Ontario Ministry of Education, Policy/Program Memorandum 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening
- OCSB, Explore OCSB Literacy at Home, November 3, 2026
- OCSB Literacy at Home, Kindergarten to Grade 6
- OCDSB, Everyday literacy webinar, November 25, 2026
- EQAO, Highlights of the Provincial Results, Grade 3, 2025–2026 (PDF)
- OCSB, Kindergarten
- Ontario, Preparing for kindergarten