When permanent teaching positions become available, Regulation 274 stipulates that only occasional 
teachers on the LTO list who have completed a minimum of one LTO assignment at least four (4) months 
long can be considered for new permanent positions.

When hiring for LTO and permanent positions school boards must:

O place notice of an available position on their websites for at least five weekdays;

O honour any collective agreement language applicable to hiring and teaching assignments.

Unsuccessful candidates to the LTO list, or to an LTO or permanent position, are entitled to meet with the 
individual or panel that conducted the interview to discuss performance during the interview and how to 
improve their chances during future interviews.

Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECEs) 

Are Members of ETFO

In September 2010, designated early childhood educators (DECEs) and elementary teachers began 
working side by side in classrooms across the province in the first phase of the Full Day Early Learning 
Kindergarten Program.

Supporting new partnerships

FDK teams in kindergarten classrooms need considerable professional support to make the program 
work. They need time for joint planning, curriculum preparation, and professional learning. ETFO has 
made teachers’ professional needs a priority in bargaining and is similarly supporting the professional 
needs of DECEs as collective agreements are bargained.

The success of the new FDK program depends on the willingness of teachers and DECEs to work in new 
ways, to learn with and from each other, and to be prepared to grow daily alongside their young learners. 
Meeting these challenges and benefitting from new opportunities will enrich their lives and the lives of 
their young students.

Professional Learning

One of ETFO’s commitments to our DECE members was to support them with their professional learning 
journeys. To that end we completed a needs assessment of our DECE members and have used this 
information to begin to create professional learning opportunities for DECE’s for the upcoming year and 
beyond.

We are also creating opportunities for DECE’s, teachers, or FDK teams to come and participate in learning 
together through our Learning in the Early Years series. Members should watch the ETFO website and 
also the e-newsletter for further opportunities. Any new projects, workshops or resources will be shared 
through the DECE locals to share with their membership.

For more information go to www.etfo.ca.

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WELCOME TO THE  

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 

2014-2015

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