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WEDNESDAY
September 8, 2010
34
Local brother and sister prove to be dynamite on tennis tables around the globe.
Your source for local news, sports, weather and entertainment. www.thenownews.com
Full-day K:
Are we ready? New kindergarten programs lauded, but childcare providers wonder what’s on the horizon Special Report by Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com
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Paul vanPeenen/NOW
Full-day kindergarten: take one. This week marks a pivotal moment for both parents and the provincial government, as the first batch of full-day kindergarten students started school. Groups of five-year-olds parted from their parents Tuesday morning to join the inaugural full-day program, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Education as part of a new provincewide initiative. The full-day trend is proving popular with many working families, but it’s not all fun and games for everyone involved. As young students fill seats in local classrooms, other spots are left vacant at daycares and childcare centres. Struggling to cope with the change, some childcare providers warn that vital before- and after-school programs could be at risk. While full-day kindergarten is new to most B.C. families, the concept is a back-to-school routine for Nermin Elmestkawi, whose oldest daughter started full-day education when she was four years old at a private school in Egypt. Now a Tri-Cities resident, Elmestkawi accompanied her younger daughter, Nada, to her first day of full-day kindergarten at Walton Elementary School on Tuesday. “I think it’s a wonderful program,” she said as Nada examined shells and pinecones through a magnifying glass. Other parents agreed, including Glenda Gimenez, whose son Joshua also started full-day kindergarten at Walton Elementary. “I think it’s great. They can get more experience. I have a daughter going into Grade 1 today too. She did the regular halfday kindergarten last year, but two hours a day wasn’t enough,” Gimenez said. “I’m going back to school at Douglas College, so that gives me more time for it. I’m excited.” Half of all kindergarten students across B.C. will study in full-day classes this year, with the other half starting next September. Throughout the province, about 20,000 kindergartners will take part in the initial full-day program in 2010-2011. This total includes 887 five-year-olds in School District 43, who will learn in 60 classrooms at 23 schools. The provincial government is investing $280 million over the next three years to fund the program’s operating expenses, plus another $144 million for capital costs.
Connor, 5, has some first-day anxiety at Walton Tuesday, as his mom, Debbie Brown, coaxes him on.