Kindergarten vow in limbo
Redford ‘not sure’ of fulfilling full-day promise by next election —
Premier Alison Redford says she can’t guarantee she’ll keep her promise to bring in full-day kindergarten in Alberta during the Tory government’s current term.
Redford made the pledge as she ran for the Progressive Conservative leadership in 2011 but it was deferred in both 2012 and 2013 as the government dealt with lower revenues than it had projected.
In her year-end interview with the Herald, the premier said she still hopes to move on full-day kindergarten, but can’t say whether it will happen by the time the 2014 school year starts, or even before the next provincial election in 2016.
“I’m not sure. I really want to do it,” said Redford. “Last year’s fiscal circumstances changed some things for us and we had to make some tough decisions. So we see fullday kindergarten in some places. I would like to see it everywhere.
“(Education Minister) Jeff Johnson is working very hard to get there but we want to make sure that as we do that, that we’re doing it in a responsible way.”
The cost of full-day kindergarten was pegged at $200 million in 2011. When the government planned for it to start in the fall of 2013, it was not intended to be mandatory.
School boards, including those in Calgary, do offer some full-day kindergarten programs, particularly in neighbourhoods where young students struggle.
The province, however, only funds half-day programs, and boards have to move money from other parts of their budgets to fill the gap.
Alberta School Boards Association president Helen Clease said mandating full-time kindergarten for all students would be “problematic” because of a lack of adequate infrastructure in some school jurisdictions.
Staff ing and transportation concerns, namely the possibility of long days with long bus rides, would be another issue.
“We strongly believe that when a school board chooses to implement such programs, though, they should be fully funded by the province,” Clease said in an email.
“The government should mandate fully funded half-time kindergarten programs. Full-time kindergarten programs for children — including programs for children at risk — should be fully funded where they are implemented by a local school board.”
Wildrose education critic Bruce McAllister said the issue of all-day kindergarten is another example of Redford making an easy promise to win votes, then abandoning it when difficulties arise.
McAllister said the province should not mandate all-day kindergarten, though it could work to increase it as an option for parents. But he said the government is in a worse position to implement the program than it was two years ago when Redford took office.
“They either shot first without seeing the target or they knew full well they couldn’t meet the target,” said McAllister.
“I don’t think you have to be a genius to look at the classroom sizes, the lack of resources, the lack of space, the lack of facilities to know that we couldn’t realistically provide full-day kindergarten.”
The Alberta Teachers Association estimated earlier this year that there would be 11,000 more students and 240 fewer teachers in the province this year.
Liberal Leader Raj Sherman said Redford has failed the education system and full-day kindergarten should be a priority.
“Eighty-five per cent of your brain development happens before the age of six. So if you invest in early childhood development ...
I don’t think you have to be a genius to look at the classroom sizes, the lack of resources, the lack of space, the lack of facilities to know that we couldn’t realistically provide full-day kindergarten
BRUCE MCALLISTER
children are capable of learning much easier and performing better later on in life. And it actually saves us money,” he said.