When is it too early for school? Province considers full-day kindergarten for four-year-old children by 2010
The Daily News (Nanaimo)
June 27, 2008 
By: Robert Barron

Three- and four-year-old children in B.C. could be heading off to school if a feasibility study by the Ministry of Education makes that case.

The ministry is considering full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds by 2009, as well as day-long kindergarten for four-year-olds by 2010 and for three-year-olds by 2012 in response to studies that suggest children three to five years old are at an ideal age to learn.

The B.C. government established the Early Childhood Learning Agency in the speech from the throne in February and gave it the task of exploring the feasibility of expanding early learning programs in British Columbia. It will report back by the end of 2008.

As part of this work, the ECLA has sent a consultation paper to the province's school districts asking for input by July 18 on the feasibility of full-time kindergarten for three-to five-year-olds.

"Brain research has shown during the early years, children's brains have more plasticity (than in later years) and the evidence suggests that during this time, there are windows of opportunity when children are especially receptive to experiences that can shape their whole lives," the consultation paper says.

In an atmosphere where schools are being closed in the face of declining enrolment, where to put all these new students could be an expensive proposition. And besides the financial implications, the notion of sending toddlers off to class has its opponents.

Meanwhile, the province's vast daycare industry would surely lose business if such a plan were implemented.

"It's known that quality child care and education at an early age can be very helpful with the development of children, but the impacts of putting children in a structured regime at such a young age would have to be considered as well," said Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district superintendent Mike Munro.

"We need to see what the research indicates and look at it carefully to see what will be in the best interests of our students and the community."

…. "It's a confusing message for school boards who have been told for years to reduce capacity and now we're being told that we may need the space we spent years reducing," he said. "If this goes forward, it will be hugely expensive and we've had to cut $1.8 million from our budget for 2008-09 due to underfunding, so I would suggest the ministry look to adequately fund the K-12 system already in place before they consider moving forward with such an expensive venture."

Munro said it wouldn't be unusual for the ministry to change directions on issues as new information comes forward.

"Public education is a dynamic enterprise where policies change all the time and that's why we spend a lot of late afternoons in Nanaimo-Ladysmith doing our best to interpret new policies and how best to apply them in the district," he said.

Ministry of Education spokesman Jeff Rud said the process is just at the consultation stage and he expects issues around funding, space and the desirability of sending such young children to school will likely be dealt with in the ECLA's report at the end of the year.