They answer the call for implementation with the usual political goo about studying the issue and waited for the issue to go away.
But that isn’t going to do because study after study has shown the benefits of full-day kindergarten for children.
With the emphasis the province has put on early learning initiatives over the last couple of years one can only wonder why they aren’t pushing the idea themselves instead of hiding from it.
Sure it’s nice to put out early learning resources for parents to teach their children, but how many out there will actually benefit from it. How many parents can actually say that they have seen, let alone used, one of those resources? Not many would be a good guess.
So, wouldn’t it make more sense to put these resources where they would have the best possibility of being universally applied and where the province could ensure that they were being properly used?
The answer has to be yes and the place for it is in our schools.
Doesn’t the province want our children to get ahead in terms of vocabulary, early literacy and numeracy? Wouldn’t spending a full day with peers their own age better serve to develop and foster those skills … skills they will need in an increasingly complex world?
There is no doubt full-day kindergarten would make it easier for working parents, not having to deal with a half-day at school and a half-day at day care and the resulting chaos and inconvenience it can create.
But it’s not just about that, it’s about giving our children the best opportunities for learning possible.
In the end it’s the children who really benefit from full-day kindergarten and it’s time the province put the effort into changing the system.
