School trustees want delay in all-day K
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times
Oct 27 2009
By: Maria Rantanen

While the Ministry of Education is planning to offer full-day kindergarten to 50 per cent of five-year-olds, school board trustees have asked the ministry to defer it until more discussion and planning have taken place and all schools can offer it.

According to Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows board of education chair Kathie Ward, full-day kindergarten is supported by boards of education, but this weekend they passed a motion asking the province to defer it until it can be implemented for all five-year-olds.

"If it's good for half the province, it's good for all kids," Ward said. She added it would create "haves and have-nots" in the education system.

Districts have been asked to provide a list of schools where space is available by Nov. 1 to the ministry. In December, the ministry will announce which schools have been approved for full-day kindergarten, and in September, 2011, full-day kindergarten will be universal in both public and independent schools.

First priority will be given to schools that have a high population of low-income and vulnerable students and where there is excess space, according to a ministry spokesperson.

However, Ward said she didn't feel the plan coming from the ministry was "good, thought-out plan," and she would like to have discussion and input from boards of education first….

"If you don't have a full plan in place, are you setting kids up for failure?" Ward said.

School districts are also being asked to consider offering before and after school care to the full-day kindergarten students, however, this is not mandatory. Current StrongStart and daycare programs that are in school space and expected to remain there.

While many schools have space to accommodate full-day, a few elementary schools in the district are over capacity including Albion Elementary….