Teacher resources · Last updated: June 12, 2026

By Rish — Ontario teacher, 10 years in the classroom

Ontario Kindergarten Report Card Comments: Communication of Learning (Four Frames)

Ontario kindergarten reports — the Communication of Learning — are written through four frames: Belonging and Contributing, Self-Regulation and Well-Being, Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours, and Problem Solving and Innovating. Each frame describes Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps — no grades, no levels. Below are sample comments for every frame, ready to personalize or to draft with Milo's Four Frames wizard.

These free, Growing Success-aligned examples cover all four frames of the Ontario kindergarten Communication of Learning report — or you can generate your own from your observation notes with Milo, which drafts every comment for you to review and approve (first month free, then $10 CAD/month).

What are the four frames on an Ontario kindergarten report card?

Ontario kindergarten report cards are called the Communication of Learning, and they are organized into four frames instead of subjects: Belonging and Contributing; Self-Regulation and Well-Being; Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours; and Problem Solving and Innovating. For each frame, educators write anecdotal comments under three headings — Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps in Learning — with no letter grades or achievement levels. Families receive the Communication of Learning across three reporting periods (an Initial Observations report in the fall plus two later reports). The examples below show what a clear, asset-based comment looks like in each of the four frames; you can copy and personalize them, or feed your own play-based observation notes to Milo to generate Growing Success-aligned drafts that you review and approve before anything goes home.

Belonging and Contributing — four frames report card comments

Key Learning + Growth
[Student] demonstrates a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. She greets her friends by name, invites others into her dramatic play, and proudly contributes her ideas during our morning gatherings. Over the term, [Student] has grown from playing alongside peers to co-creating play scenarios, negotiating roles, and sharing materials.
Next Steps
As a next step, [Student] is encouraged to take on small classroom leadership routines, such as guiding a friend through our tidy-up jobs. At home, talking about how family members help one another will extend her understanding of contributing to a community.

Self-Regulation and Well-Being — Communication of Learning comments

Key Learning + Growth
[Student] is developing strategies to manage his feelings during busy parts of the day. He now moves independently to our quiet corner when he feels overwhelmed and uses belly breathing to calm his body — earlier in the term he needed an educator alongside him for this. [Student] communicates his needs with growing confidence.
Next Steps
As a next step, [Student] will practise naming his feelings before choosing a calming strategy. At home, noticing and naming emotions together during stories will support this growth.

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours — sample comments

Key Learning + Growth
[Student] demonstrates literacy behaviours with enthusiasm. She retells familiar stories using the pictures, prints most letters of her name independently, and has begun matching letters to their sounds in her own writing at the writing centre. In mathematics, [Student] counts collections to 20 with one-to-one correspondence and creates repeating patterns with two attributes during block play.
Next Steps
As a next step, [Student] is encouraged to stretch out the sounds she hears in words as she writes labels for her creations. Counting everyday objects at home — stairs, snacks, toys — will continue to strengthen her number sense.

Problem Solving and Innovating — sample comments

Key Learning + Growth
[Student] approaches problems with curiosity and persistence. When his marble run kept collapsing, he tested different supports, observed what happened, and adjusted his design until it worked — explaining his thinking to his peers. Over the term he has grown from abandoning challenging tasks to trying multiple solutions before seeking help.
Next Steps
As a next step, [Student] is encouraged to record his discoveries by drawing or photographing his designs so he can revisit and improve them. Wondering aloud together at home — "What would happen if…?" — will keep extending his inquiry skills.

How to write Ontario kindergarten Communication of Learning comments

  1. Describe Key Learning — what the child knows and can do now, anchored in a specific observed moment from play.
  2. Show Growth — compare to earlier in the term ("has grown from… to…").
  3. Give Next Steps — one for school and, where natural, one families can do at home.
  4. Stay asset-based — describe what the child does, not what they fail to do.

Related guides: Grade 1–8 comment examples · Learning Skills comments (E, G, S, N) · Growing Success report card software · Canadian data residency for school tools · See all Milo features

Frequently asked questions

What are the four frames of Ontario's Kindergarten Program?
Belonging and Contributing; Self-Regulation and Well-Being; Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours; and Problem Solving and Innovating. All learning in Ontario kindergarten is organized and reported through these four frames rather than subjects.
What is the Kindergarten Communication of Learning?
It is Ontario's kindergarten report. Teachers write anecdotal comments for each frame describing Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps in Learning — there are no letter grades or achievement levels in kindergarten.
How should kindergarten comments be written?
In plain, family-friendly language, describing what the child can do (asset-based), using specific observed examples from play-based learning, and ending with a next step families can support. Comments are about the child's learning, not the program.
How is kindergarten reporting different from Grades 1-8?
Grades 1-8 report achievement levels (1-4) against subject expectations plus six Learning Skills. Kindergarten reports anecdotally through the four frames with no grades, reflecting the play-based pedagogy of The Kindergarten Program.
Is there a free Ontario kindergarten report card comment generator?
Yes. The four-frame examples on this page are free to copy and personalize. Milo also generates Growing Success-aligned Communication of Learning comments from your own observation notes — you review and approve every draft before it goes home. The first month is free, then $10 CAD per month for one plan.
How does Milo generate Communication of Learning comments?
You enter your own play-based observation notes for a child, and Milo drafts comments for each of the four frames under Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps. Student names are stripped and replaced with placeholders before anything is sent to the model, data is stored in Canada and PIPEDA-aligned, and the teacher reviews and approves every comment. Milo was built by an Ontario teacher with 10 years in the classroom.
What are the four frames for kindergarten report cards in Ontario?
Belonging and Contributing; Self-Regulation and Well-Being; Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours; and Problem Solving and Innovating. Every comment on the Ontario kindergarten Communication of Learning is organized by these four frames rather than by subject.
Are these kindergarten report card comments aligned with Growing Success?
Yes. The examples follow the Growing Success: The Kindergarten Addendum structure — Key Learning, Growth in Learning, and Next Steps in Learning for each frame — written in plain, family-friendly, asset-based language.