Desperate parents camp out for preschool in Richmond
Richmond News
April 29, 2009

METRO VANCOUVER — Richmond has no campground. But that's not why parents were setting up tents in Steveston last week. They were lining up -- for days -- to get their kids in a popular preschool program for next fall.

"We had to go through the same lineup last year but it wasn't as crazy as this," said Silvia Menna. "I find it hard to believe."

"This is the craziest it's ever been," said one single mother of three young boys.

Erendira Higgs feeds her son, Christian, while his younger brother, Patrick, waits patiently in line for a pre-school slot in Steveston.

Parents started arriving on Wednesday ..for registration on Saturday ..at Steveston Community Centre.

A total of 18 tents were set up, with moms and dads from two different families allowed per tent. In other words, the tent city represented up to 36 families -- which represents up to 72 preschoolers -- most of whom were vying for 64 spots in the popular Two's Time program.

And that's just the ones who camped out -- it doesn't include the parents who showed up Saturday morning without the faintest hope of getting a spot. By that time, all the Two's Time spots were full; there are now 45 preschoolers on the wait list.

The Two's Time program is only offered for a couple of hours at a time, once or twice a week.

The reason it is so popular is that once a two-year-old is in, he or she -- as well as younger siblings -- is automatically on the registration list for other preschool programs that follow for three- and four-year olds….

The inability of the Steveston Community Centre to keep up with the demand for the Two's Time program appears not to be a funding issue, but a space issue.

The community centre might be able to provide more programs, were it not for the fact it doesn't have the space, and is not scheduled for expansion for years to come.

… John Yap, the incumbent Liberal candidate for Richmond-Steveston, had heard about the lineup on the news, but hadn't talked to parents there.

"We do support early childhood learning -- it's very important," he said. ….