TANISHA DU VERNEY

SENIOR REPORTER

In 2010 all day kindergarten was put into effect thanks to the provincial government.
All day kindergarten has many parents  jumping for joy. No more daycare means money in their pockets in time for the post-recession recovery.
The Toronto Sun reported that Premier Dalton McGuinty released a list of almost 600 schools in Ontario that in September will offer full-day learning.
However, for parents on my block, it looks like it’s back to the recession for us.
Of 235 schools in Peel, only 20 have been chosen to offer full day learning.
Last week when I went to register my son in kindergarten for September, the receptionist at Cardinal Newman Catholic elementary school told me this school was not chosen to offer full-day learning and I should try another school a couple blocks away.
Unfortunately this is the only option in my district school zone.
I could take my son to the school down the block, but full day kindergarten runs on a first come first serve basis with people living within the school zone granted top priority. And the school bus does not pick-up or drop-off in my area.
This makes full day learning not an option for my son this year. Not only do I have to deal with a waiting list to get into the only full day school in the Bramalea area, but I also have to find someone to drop him off and pick him up from school. Frankly that is not an option for me right now.
Staff at the Peel District School Board said the ultimate goal is to have all schools turned full day by 2015. They said the government allotted enough money to fund only 20 schools in Peel Region this year. Money for more schools will be provided over the next five years.
I think this is ridiculous.
Out of 235 schools within three major cities, how could the government only fund 20 schools? That is less than eight per cent.
I understand this is the first phase and the government is unsure of how everything will pan out but for me and others in my situation, this is not fair.
The province should have funded at least a quarter of the schools
As well it should have put a temporary bus route into action for the people living outside of the district area.
My house is across the main road from the school. It’s about a three minute drive away and an extra bus route travelling from my area across the main road could have saved a year of daycare expenses and a lot of hassle for everyone in my area.
If McGuinty is going to spend millions of dollars hiring new staff, funding after school programs and improving the education system through other initiatives, he should have extended the funding to provide a bus route that could help get more children to school.
So it looks like this will be another year of digging for dollars in order to afford daycare.
I guess I will try again next year and hopefully by then Cardinal Newman will offer full day learning.