All-day Kindergarten good idea providing funding is in place and it is equitable for all
Courier-Islander
November 20, 2009
Re: "Full-day K Decision by '10"

By: Helen Moats, Chair, Board of Education, SD72

Once again, provincial Boards of Education find themselves in a race to meet an externally-imposed deadline - a race with racetrack personnel who have fired the gun but haven't opened the gate, with steeds wearing blinders, with inadequate oats in the barn for the ponies, and local jockeys who have to ride whatever mounts they're assigned.

I refer to the mandated implementation of full-day kindergartens in all B.C. schools in all districts by 2011, with some programs beginning operation by September, 2010. …

Although many parents and educators will welcome the proposal in theory, the daunting challenge for all school districts will be implementation of a plan which, in practical terms, looks to be poorly supported both financially and strategically. ….This does not necessarily mean half of the schools or half of each district's kindergarten enrolment".

In our Nov. 1 Proposal for Year One of Full Day Kindergarten Implementation report to the Ministry, SD 72 stated that we "have a strong desire to offer full day kindergarten to all the families in the Campbell River District."

Based on the Sept. 30th ministry letter, and the fact that we have virtually no local control over choosing schools in that first year, we could end up with anywhere from zero to 15 such programs in September 2010. Needless to say, the schools that the ministry selects for us will not coincide with our own preference of making available a full program to all kindergarten students at the same time.

The problems are obvious. Not only is the touted $44 million inadequate to get all-day programs up and running across the province for half the eligible students, each school district will have two levels of programs operating for the year 2010, with all the problems that a two-tier system will incur. In 2010, designated (by the ministry of education) schools will be offering only a full-day program; non-designated schools will be offering only a half-time program. In 2011, all kindergarten programs will be all day.

The bottomline worries are twofold: with inadequate funding for a forced mandate, Boards of Education will be compelled to diminish or eliminate other programs in order to pay for this new initiative, and for at least a year, we will be offering inequitable opportunities to our students. If I were a bookie, I'd have trouble explaining the racing rules to my customers. If I were a racetrack manager, I wouldn't have to look far to determine who'll be cleaning the stables.