‘Unified digital file’ to follow Quebec children through their school years

Quebec unveiled its strategy for children under eight years old Tuesday, including the establishment of a “unified digital file” that will follow children throughout their school career.

The file is meant to ensure a smooth transition from level to level. The strategy, on which Quebec says it will spend $1.4 billion by 2022, includes support for community organizations that are able to reach children who do not attend daycares, particularly children of immigrants and children from disadvantaged areas.

The plan also includes screening for vision disorders for preschool students and promises early detection of other difficulties through the addition of speech therapists, occupational therapists and remedial teachers in primary schools.

Resources for spotting difficulties will be available at the daycare level.

The strategy aims to provide all children with essential reading, writing and math skills by the end of Grade 2, and promises access to more books in preschool and elementary schools. More preschool classes will also be rolled out, particularly in underprivileged areas.

“Equal opportunities materialize through education,” Quebec Education Minister Sébastien Proulx said at a news conference on Tuesday.

One of the most striking additions is the eye exams, which are already free for young children, but will now be given in schools.

The goal is to detect vision disorders at a young age in order to encourage educational success.

“We have the means to do it now,” Premier Philippe Couillard said of the addition.

Proulx noted he had already discussed the subject with the Quebec Order of Optometrists, and that even though the exams are already free, only 20 per cent of parents take their children to have them done before they begin school.

Proulx was also adamant about the addition of therapists and experts, saying he had already reached or exceeded his goal of hiring 1,500 additional workers to help children with disabilities or learning difficulties.

It should be noted, however, that the unions representing teachers and education professionals, both the CSQ (Centrale des syndicats du Québec) and the FAE (Fédération autonome de l’enseignement), had expressed doubts about whether the goal was achieved a few months after the start of the school year.

Quebec also wants to continue the rollout of kindergarten classes for four-year-olds, particularly in underprivileged areas.

On the issue of breakfast for children in disadvantaged areas, Proulx said he hopes to find a way to reach children who are living in a difficult family situation but who aren’t in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

There are 800,000 children under the age of eight in Quebec.

The CSQ, which represents the majority of primary and secondary school teachers, as well as education professionals and support staff, pointed out, with a hint of sarcasm, that “the government is waking up in the run-up to the elections” by reinvesting in young children.

CSQ president Louise Chabot said the measures are “interesting but electioneering.”

For example, Chabot said, “several measures have no precise timetable for their implementation, and we don’t know the details.”