福利 【讨论】FULL DAY KINDERGARDEN

[枫叶的天空]

Ontario government comes through with funds totalling $500 million for long-promised initiative

November 28, 2007
The Canadian Press, with files from Karen Kawawada, Record staff

TORONTO

Ontario will start to phase in full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds in 2010, seven years after Premier Dalton McGuinty first promised to introduce full-time junior and senior kindergarten.

McGuinty visited a Toronto public school to re-announce his promise to study full-day learning for about 240,000 of Ontario's youngest students and start phasing it in with a $200 million budget in 2010, increasing to $300 million the next year.

"I would be surprised if $300 million were enough for a fully phased-in, full-day learning program for all Ontario four- and five-year-olds,'' McGuinty admitted. "We're talking about a huge number of children, and I think we've got to be honest, we're talking about a multi-year phase in.''

McGuinty said studies consistently show that four-year-olds in full-time learning programs score higher in math and language skills than other students.

The premier also appointed Dr. Charles Pascal, chair of the Education Quality and Accountability Office, to study the issue and recommend the best ways to implement full-day junior and senior kindergarten in Ontario.

Pascal said he hoped to create a seamless system where children are exposed to a mix of kindergarten teachers and early childhood educators, and joked that the proposed budget was "unequivocally, maybe'' adequate to get the job done.

"The money that's on the table may absolutely be enough. It depends on options, but I prefer not to begin holding that perfectly constant,'' said Pascal.

"That may not be music to the premier's ears, but it's my answer.''

In Waterloo Region, Catholic board trustee Louise Ervin, who ran for the Liberals in last month's provincial election, welcomed Pascal's appointment.

"He's been involved in education for quite awhile and from what I remember he's always been a strong advocate of early childhood education," she said.

More generally, "especially for children who have parents who are working, the seamless day is better than having children transported all over the place," Ervin said.

Public board trustee, longtime public child-care advocate and former NDP candidate Catherine Fife also praised the appointment and said she likes what she's hearing so far.

"At least it's keeping tax dollars in the public domain for the benefit of children," she said.

But Fife said she hoped the plan won't replace broader investment in child care, including before- and after-school programs.

There are also significant challenges school boards have to face before they can implement full-day learning, she added. The major ones are space and staffing.

"School boards would require guaranteed multi-year funding to not only plan the capital space but negotiate those new collective agreements. If we have early childhood educators (working with teachers), that's a whole new bargaining group."

Kitchener day-care operator and preschool resource consultant Sherri Dombroskie said child-care centres are already best equipped for all-day care.

"We have a system that works in child care and I strongly believe we need to support that system first before we go into the schools," she said.

Dombroskie also had concerns about how full-day learning would work for staff. Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne told CTV yesterday she envisioned a teacher, an early childhood educator and an educational assistant working with 25 children from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., although parents could choose to have their children there only half-days.

That ratio of children to adults is high, said Dombroskie. Also, she asked, "Would those teachers be present all day long? When do the breaks happen?" she asked. "With the relationship between the (early childhood educator) and the teacher, will they be treated equally?"

Preschool teachers aren't "glorified babysitters" and they deserve fair pay, Dombroskie said.

West Montrose mom Marie Roemer said all-day, everyday kindergarten isn't a good idea at all. She has one child in junior kindergarten and another in senior kindergarten, going to school alternate days.

"I find they're really tired at the end of the day; they're pretty cranky and the next day they're exhausted," Roemer said. "I'm still a fan of the half days myself."

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care called McGuinty's announcement "terrific,'' but said they would like to see the full-day learning plan implemented faster and with better funding.

"Honestly, it's going to take a lot more cash than that. It's going to take a lot more funding than that,'' said coalition executive director Elizabeth Ablett.

"Although I understand it does take time to build something right, it does take substantial funding.''

But Pascal said he was glad to see the Liberals were taking time to make sure the policy was properly developed, and that teachers and parents were widely consulted, before it's put into action.

"Getting this right is far more important than getting it done by next Tuesday,'' he said.

Statistics Canada data from 2006 shows there are 272,000 four and five year olds in Ontario, but the province said the numbers in school are somewhat lower because kindergarten is optional and some parents don't enrol their kids.

BY THE NUMBERS

240,000 children in kindergarten (115,000 in JK; 125,000 in SK).

$200 million in 2010; $300 million in 2011.

No deadline for full-day kindergarten throughout province.

Eight francophone school boards, including those in Waterloo Region, have it.

Also at Lexington Public School in Waterloo, where children attend morning kindergarten and get afternoon care from an early childhood educator.

[枫叶的天空]

明年有希望实施吗？

[枫叶的天空]

听说明年夏天有希望实施了?