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BC Government Moves toward All-Day Kindergarten for 3-5 Year-Olds

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

BURNABY, BC, August 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The BC Ministry of Education and Ministry of Children and Family Development is considering implementing full-school-day pre-kindergarten for children ages three and four, and full-time kindergarten for five-year-olds.

The formation of the Early Childhood Learning Agency (ECLA) was announced in the BC government Speech from the Throne in February 2008. It was given the task of exploring the feasibility of expanding early learning programs in British Columbia.

In July the BC Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) issued a press release urging the government to "prove its commitment to quality child care in schools."

In a briefing paper submitted to the provincial Ministry of Education, the union stated, "The introduction of all-day kindergarten in B.C. public schools for children aged three to five may significantly improve the lives of B.C. parents and children and needs to be introduced as soon as feasible."

Contrary to a massive amount of research showing the negative effects of day care on young children, the brief argues that "a publicly-funded integrated system of early learning child care is the most effective way to ensure that all B.C. children have opportunities to reach their full potential."

Though the BC government has initiated a public consultation initiative (see: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/ecla/) seeking input from concerned individuals and organizations, the Kids First Parent Association of Canada has cautioned parents in BC that the major supporters of this proposal are corporate interests and ideologically driven organizations such as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the World Bank, and the RAND Corporation, a US think-tank with links to the Ford, Rockefeller and Carnegie Foundations.

Kids First Parent Association of Canada has provided background information on these organizations in a document titled "Who is pushing all-day schooling for little kids?" available here: http://www.kidsfirstcanada.org/documents-allday.htm

To read previous LifeSiteNews.com articles on day-care and pre-school research please see:

Preschool Damages Children's Social Skills and Emotional Development
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05111001.html

Study Finds Daycare Damages Babies Brain Chemistry
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06032903.html

Massive Study Finds Pre-School and Early Child Education Initiatives Show No Benefit
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07083104.html

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