Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Kindergarten Change Causes Anger

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Bruce Grey
by Diana Meder    

Parents and daycare centres around the region are fuming mad at a decision made by the Bluewater District School board that threatens to result in mass confusion next fall.

The board quietly passed a change last month to their kindergarten and J-K schedules that could leave some parents looking for a new child care provider.

Owen Sound dad Jamie Stata's son goes to Wooden Hill Daycare when he's not at Sydenham Community school however his spot at the centre is in jeapordy if the scheduling changes are made at the public board level but not in the catholic system. 

Basically it boils down to the fact that there would be too many kids at each daycare centre on certain days.  

Right now both public and catholic kids are able to go to the same daycare centres because their schedules match. 

If the provincially mandated changes go through -- daycare centres around the region may be forced to take either public or seperate school kids...but not both. 

Stata says the changes will complicate and confuse daycare for both parents and children.

He also says he doesn't understand the urgency to make the changes now -- when all day kindergarten will be rolled out at all schools across the province within a few years. 

Stata is one of many parents who plan to be at the board's next meeting, on March 23, to see if trustees will consider delaying the changes.