All-day-kindergarten should be embraced
Times Colonist (Victoria)
Sep 10 2009
By: James Cavalluzzo, Victoria

Re: "Doubts raised over all-day kindergarten," Sept. 3.

The doubts being raised about the wisdom and likelihood of all-day kindergarten will only serve to put off this necessary development in public education.

In 1971, I attended what was the very first year of all-day kindergarten in my Toronto school, so it is shocking to realize that children and families here in B.C. are still waiting for it to come about.

The studies confirming the value of early childhood education, including kindergarten and child care, are overwhelming. The benefits include better acquisition of basic skills, improved socialization and higher graduation rates. This is a smart investment in our children and it supports working families.

We need to seize this opportunity to establish all-day kindergarten in B.C. It may be reasonable to question the Campbell Liberal government's economic stewardship and recent fudge-it budget, but we shouldn't allow this to be an excuse for inaction.