Church-run preschools struggle as full-day Kindergarten launches
GUELPH, ON - Students, stipends and staff for church-run preschool programs have taken a hit because of Ontario's push towards all-day Kindergarten.
"We've had some families take their children to public system this year," says Bev Broughton, director of Community and Family Services for The Salvation Army in Guelph. Part of her responsibilities is the oversight of a nursery school and Junior Kindergarten (JK) program that cares for children 18 months to five years old.
"We've known this has been coming for a while," she says of the drop in registrations. "Now we don't just have a JK, it's a Senior Preschool/JK that mixes older children with enriched activities. It's not sustainable as a straight JK."
The provincial government's move to the new format for its youngest students relies on a 2009 report by early childhood education expert Charles Pascal that calls for all-day Kindergarten to be instituted by Ontario schools. Citing a large number of children who arrive in Grade 1 unprepared, Pascal reported:
"The current fragmented patchwork of early childhood services too often fails the interests of our children, frustrates families and educators, and wastes resources…
"The smartest thing we can do right now…is to ensure that all Ontario children have an even-handed opportunity to succeed in school, become lifelong learners and pursue their dreams."
By the fall of 2009 pilot programs were held in a small number of schools. By September 2010 nearly 600 schools offered the program for four and five year olds. The province plans to have full-day Kindergarten in all schools by fall 2014.
While the Army's program has only lost a few students to date, other preschools have closed, including the popular Little Lamb Preschool in Waterloo.
Run by Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church, the school closed in May after 25 years of operation. A recent open house in the preschool building, built beside the church in 1993 when more room was needed, allowed former staff, parents and students to say goodbye.
"The school came to an end earlier this year when numbers began dwindling with the introduction of full-day Junior Kindergarten in the neighbourhood," says open house organizer and church member Carol Walrath in a recent Record article.
The loss of students means some programs will have to drop JK altogether, says Broughton. But the enrolment drop is only one of the issues preschools face due to all-day Kindergarten.
"The government will be making more and more funding unavailable for older children," says Broughton. Currently funding comes from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. By next year funding will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.
"What used to be available from Children and Youth Services will come from Education - and Education is allotting the money in a different way," she says.
Less money also means less staff. Schools employ certified teachers to staff the Kindergarten classes. But they also employ staff with Early Childhood Education (ECE) certification as classroom assistants - many of whom used to work in church-run JKs.
"We have a hard time getting ECEs because of the wage disparity," says Broughton. "[Schools] can pay a much higher rate and the benefits are better.
"There's a shortage of staff coming down the pike."
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