District 64 wants say in all-day plan for kindies
Gulf Islands Driftwood
Sep 2 2009
By: Sean McIntyre

The Gulf Islands School District wants to take the lead if and when the province chooses to implement an all-day kindergarten program, superintendent Jeff Hopkins said on Tuesday.

"I think there's something about our district that makes us want to play a leading role when it comes to education," Hopkins said. "We have a strong philosophy about early learning and are lucky to have many early learning specialists on the island.

"If we started, we could play a role in shaping what the program looks like across the province."

Hopkins pointed to the district's Strong Start program and other early learning initiatives as places where the district has made a positive contribution in the past.

"Those programs have taken off and are continuing to grow," he said.

Hopkins said he is in favour of the provincial government's plans to institute an optional all-day kindergarten for five year olds as early as September 2010.

"We knew they were heading in this direction," he said. "I think the energy we spend in the early years really pays off in the later years. This is a priority."

Whether or not the program is a success or not, he said, depends largely on how classes are developed, details of which have not yet been announced….

The province, she added, will consider starting the program in a combination of rural and urban districts that require minimal infrastructure investments.

"All districts with available facilities will be considered," MacDiarmid said in an interview shortly after the announcement. "Like anything in life, some will not like the way we've done it, but one of our priorities is to make sure it's fair."

She said more details will be available once budget numbers have been released.

While the minister expressed the benefits of early learning, she dismissed any possibility the province will expand early learning programs to include subsidized daycare service.

The people of B.C., she added, have not voiced a strong demand for subsidized daycare.

Any attempt to proceed with subsidized childcare programs like those offered in Ontario and Quebec would require the federal government's involvement, she said.