No money, staff locally for all-day kindergarten
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times
Jun 5 2009
By: Maria Rantanen

The provincial government wants to start a full-day kindergarten program for all five-year-olds in the province by fall, 2010, and later start junior kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds, but SD42 secretary-treasurer Don Woytowich said in an interview before his departure he doesn't know where the money and the personnel would come from to implement it.

The TIMES obtained a copy of the Ministry of Education's report Expanding Early Learning in British Columbia for Children Age Three to Five through a freedom-of-information request. It has since been released to the public.

One thousand teachers would be needed province-wide to start full-day kindergarten, and Woytowich pointed out the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows district is already short of kindergarten teachers.

"Where would they get the qualified teachers?" Woytowich said. "They just don't exist."

Province-wide, introducing a junior kindergarten program for three- and four-year-olds would require 4,000 early childhood educators.

In addition, teacher assistants, special education teachers and other specialists to support children would have to be hired.

…. Woytowich said the financial implications of introducing full-day kindergarten are "huge."

The operating costs of full-day kindergarten are estimated at $130 million for the entire province once it's fully running, and $600 million to run a program for three and four-year-olds and full-day kindergarten.

The report states that early childhood learning improves children's reading, writing and math as well as social development and motor skills. In addition, early learning has been found "to reduce costs in other social policy areas" over the long term.

However, the need for high quality programs is necessary, the report states, which included standards and curriculum, correct teacher-child ratios, sustainable funding, other social and health services and involvement and communication with families.

Well-trained and well-paid educators are also part of the formula for successful early learning, it states in the report.

While the educational benefits of expanding education for younger children is obvious, it will cost a lot a money, Woytowich said.

"I can't see where the money would come from," he said.

Woytowich said it's not possible to give an accurate number on what it will cost locally because it would depend how it was implemented.

"There are too many unknowns at this point," he said.

The full-day kindergarten report states that during the 2009/10 school year, the Ministry of Education will do "foundational work, including staffing strategies, facilities planning and program development."

In addition, they'll continue to expand the StrongStart programs, of which there are currently five in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.