Pre-primary program to be offered in more Nova Scotia school communities this fall
Suzanne Trudeau reports that the Centreville and District Parks and Recreation Association held a public meeting on Feb. 21 at the Centreville Hall. Coun. Pauline Raven chaired the discussion and vote on a motion to set “the 2018 Parks and Recreation Rate of $25 per dwelling unit.”
A slideshow was presented to highlight what has taken place over the last year at the park as well as a financial report to illustrate where the last allotment of funds was disbursed.
Even though there are very dedicated volunteers, the cost of operation was $15,000 last year and items are still not completed and/or in the planning stages. We must remember that funding assistance from the various sources often hinges on the organization having matching funds, so this Centreville Recreation tax allows the park to apply for additional funding.
The vote was taken by ballot and passed. Thanks to county officials and park volunteers who answered many questions and noted those questions they couldn’t answer.
The Centreville Good Neighbour Club met Feb 15 at the new time of 7 p.m. They quickly got down to business with year-end reports. The new president is Hea-
ther Monteith, vice-president Ann Steadman, secretary Susan Wood, and treasurer Marilyn Kennedy. The Big Breakfast Committee and others agreed to stay on. It was with regret we hear that Myra is stepping back from the club and the hall decorating, Myra and Susan had a wonderful job. We socialized and had a great lunch prepared by our hostesses Ann and Mary-Ellen. See you at the next meeting March 15 at 7 p.m. at the hall — remember to wear something green. The next big breakfast is March 17, 7-10 a.m., at the Centreville Hall, admission is by freewill offering.
The Centreville Baptist church now has a first aid station (first aid kit and a modern defibrillator) inside the church doors. This new style defibrillator was demonstrated to community members and has many advantages, but more importantly, it is registered with the Nova Scotia 911 program, so the location is available when emergencies happen. The defibrillator, once attached to the patient, will monitor and administer a charge if needed. Remember if there is no pulse and no defibrillator, doing “20-30 chest compressions and then a breath until help arrives,” makes a difference. I found out there have been improvements in how things are done, so please keep up to date.
BraveHeart First Aid will be putting on a one-day Red Cross First Aid Course for $75 on April 7 at the Centreville Baptist Church, 870 Murray Dr. For more information, contact the church at 902678-1946.
More children in the Annapolis Valley and across Nova Scotia will have the option to attend pre-primary classes this fall.
The provincial government has announced that 130 new pre-primary classes will be added in 87 school communities across Nova Scotia. Premier Stephen McNeil said the first year of the program has been a success, with more than 800 fouryear-olds and their families benefiting.
“We want our children to have a strong foundation for school regardless of where they live or what their socio-economic background. Preprimary provides just that,” McNeil said in a press release.
This year, the Department of Education will be seeking a partnership with a licensed child care provider to deliver pre-primary as a pilot project in Kings County. Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Zach Churchill said the intention is to always deliver preprimary in schools, but when space is an issue, partnering with the community makes sense and would serve families well.
“The demand from families for a program in more communities is high and delivering the program through a licensed child care provider may give more children in Nova Scotia the opportunity, more quickly, to have access to this program,” Churchill said.
The expansion of pre-primary will create more opportunities for early childhood educators, as the program will be rolled out province wide by September 2020. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is partnering with Nova Scotia Works Employment Services and the Department of Labour and Advanced Education to attract and recruit early childhood educators to Nova Scotia.
Families who live within a school community that is offering pre-primary and wish to register their child for the program can contact their local school board to learn more about the registration process.
Schools in Kings County delivering the pre-primary program this fall include L.E. Shaw Elementary School in Avonport, Cambridge Elementary School in Cambridge, Coldbrook and District School in Coldbrook, Aldershot Elementary in Aldershot, Kings County Academy in Kentville (in partnership with a licensed child care operator off site from the school) and Port Williams Elementary School in Port Williams.
In Annapolis County, schools will include Bridgetown Regional Community School in Bridgetown, Clark Rutherford Elementary in Cornwallis Park, Champlain Elementary School in Granville Ferry and Lawrencetown Consolidated School in Lawrencetown.
Hants County schools will include Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School in Summerville and Three Mile Plains District School.
This fall, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial will also deliver the pre-primary program through its Grandir en francais program. In Kings County, Ecole Rose-des-Vents in Greenwood will be delivering the program.
For more information, visit www. ednet.ns.ca/pre-primary.
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