A top school official in Ottawa is backing a report urging the Ontario government to implement full-day kindergarten for the province's youngest students.

"Full-day learning is what we've been waiting for for many years in this province. This could truly be a transformational moment in the history of education," said James McCracken, director of education at the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board and chair of United Way Ottawa's Success By Six early childhood development initiative.

The report, authored by education adviser Charles Pascal, is calling for about $1 billion worth of changes to kindergarten in Ontario. It will require schools to renovate their space and hire new staff; in essence, turning elementary schools into year-round "learning hubs" for children and their parents.

At these centres, parents will also have access to prenatal advice, nutrition information, full-day kindergarten and after-school programming, which McCracken describes as "blended learning for the whole day."

Pascal recommended that these programs be implemented in low-income, high-risk neighbourhoods first.

McCracken said a full-day learning program that teaches children important skills at an early age is needed.

In Ottawa, a recent report examining children's success by the age of six found that one-third of senior kindergarteners were ill-equipped for school.

"Children arrived at school lacking pro-social skills, emotional well-being, physical well-being, communications," said McCracken, a proponent of early childhood development.

Although McCracken said Ottawa is considered a good place to live, he said the number of kids who arrive at school not ready to learn is a major problem.

Pascal's report recommends that a full-day program for four and five year olds be fully implemented in the next three years.

The premier said Ontario will spend $500 million over two years to phase in the kindergarten extension, starting in 2010.

Still, critics of the plan question if the province has the money to see the project through, especially since the costs haven't been factored into the 2009 provincial budget.

While McGuinty said the new learning centres are a "fabulous idea," he added the government needs to be aware of the costs involved.

"We can't do it all at once. We have to walk before we can run," McGuinty told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

"We'll move as quickly as we can always being mindful of our particular economic circumstances."

Even though the government is taking steps to implement full-day kindergarten, school in Ontario is not mandatory until Grade 1 and parents will still have to choose whether they want to enroll their kids in full or half-day kindergarten programs.

With files from The Canadian Press