A kindergarten conundrum
Salmon Arm Observer
By Tracy Hughes
September 08, 2009

Plans unveiled in last week’s provincial budget to introduce full-day kindergarten for half of B.C.’s five-year-olds are leaving Shuswap parents and educators feeling like they need to raise their hands to ask the government a question.

“On the one hand there’s a commitment to full-day kindergarten beginning in 2010, but in other areas the budget has been cut quite drastically, so I worry how this will be put in without a cost to our other programs,” says Wendy Woodhurst, director of instruction for School District #83….

“We had a district literary specialist come into our class and she was very impressed with the progress our kids had made as compared to other classes in the district. It seems like they are able to accomplish more and have more variety than in the half-day format.”

But Chafe too has questions about what format the government’s plans will take, especially regarding how the program will be staffed with kindergarten teachers, early childhood educators or a combination.

Parents already have an option to hold back their child from kindergarten, and with funding for only approximately 50 per cent of the province’s students forthcoming in 2010, they may have more options….