Full-day kindergarten won't start this year
BY ROBERT BARRON
Nanaimo Daily News
February 4, 2009

While full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds in B.C.'s schools looks to be inevitable, it appears unlikely that it will be in place by September….

When first discussed last year, the ministry was considering institute full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds as early as September, with the possibility it could be expanded to include four-year-olds by 2010 and three-year-olds by 2012.

Officials in Nanaimo-Ladysmith are withholding comment until the specifics of the plan are laid out.

Bond said the ministry recognizes the importance of investing in a child's early years to support his or her lifelong success.

"That's why the Early Childhood Learning Agency has been studying the feasibility of full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds and, in the future, optional full-day programs for four-year-olds and three-year-olds," she said….

"However, there is still more work to do at the district and ministry level before we are able to determine the best way to move forward."…