Holding the Government to its Election Promise (From the President)

During the recent provincial election the McGuinty Liberals promised to spend $400 million to provide full-day kindergarten. The program would be in place by the end of the government’s mandate in 2011.

ETFO welcomed this announcement. It is a progressive step that will benefit Ontario students. Research shows that an investment in early learning has a positive impact on a child’s lifelong aca- demic success. Furthermore, for many children getting a good education is the only way they can escape poverty and build a successful, fulfilling life.

Many families today do not have a stay-at-home parent. For their 4 and 5 year-olds parents have to juggle  child  care and kindergarten and child care providers and schools have to make arrange- ments for travel between the two programs. It is unnecessarily complicated and time consuming for everyone involved.

ETFO is on record as supporting universally accessible, high quality child care. We believe child care programs and kindergarten should be integrated so that school-based child care wraps around the kindergarten day by providing programs before and after school and during the lunch hour. This is what parents want and what young children need to develop into lifelong learners.

There is a temptation among politicians to promise many things while on the campaign trail and then to back away from those promises once in office.

During the campaign Mr. McGuinty explicitly identified the Liberal plan for full-day programming as ‘kindergarten’; however, there are indications that the government may be considering a model in which half the instructional day is staffed by certified teachers and the other half by early childhood educators. The federation does not accept this model as “full day kindergarten. “

The Harris government during its very destructive term of office – destructive to education, in particular – introduced the concept of replacing kindergarten teachers with child care staff as part of its infamous, budget slashing “education toolkit.” ETFO and the other affiliates soundly condemned the proposal, as did the Ontario College of Teachers.

There is no more reason today to adopt this model. We believe that only qualified teachers should be delivering kindergarten education to young children. Quality child care provided by appropriately trained early childcare educators complements the kindergarten program but cannot replace it.

As ETFO members I urge you to make this issue a topic of conversation in your staff rooms, at your school council meetings, and in your community. We cannot allow the government to go back on this promise. It is time to provide our young children with the quality education and child care they deserve. It’s time to provide parents with the peace of mind that comes from knowing their children are being educated and cared for in the best possible environment.