Is pre-K OK?

For one thing, the pre-K program, now entering its second year, is only offered at five Pearson schools, two in Pierrefonds, with others in Dorval, Hudson and LaSalle. The board has decided not to offer daycare for the half-day program, which can be taken in morning or afternoon sessions with about 15 students in each group. The program teaches subjects such as the alphabet, socialization skills and reading in a formal setting in preparation for kindergarten, which technically, is not even mandatory. Quebec's full-day publicly funded kindergarten is optional but most parents make sure their kids are enrolled for pedagogical reasons but also to reserve a spot in their school of choice for Grade 1.

Aside for the logistical issues parents in, say, Beaconsfield or Pointe Claire may face trying to get their four-year-old to Dorval or Pierrefonds, the half-day program with no daycare means most parents won't be able to consider enrolling in this program. OK, the pre-K program is a pilot project effort but many parents won't be able to take advantage of it for several reasons; they have a nine-to-five job, may have a hard time finding and/or paying for a half-day daycare on top of the $100-a-month fee for the Pearson pre-K class. Of course, parents could just ignore the Pearson program, and either keep their kid at home, look for a daycare or another pre-school until their child is old enough for kindergarten. There is also the thorny issue of a private pre-schools facing competition from a public institution, although it’s understandable the Pearson board does what it can to attract students to the public system and away from private schools, which, in some cases, do receive government funding on top of tuition paid by parents.

The pre-K program might have its merits in a public system but to be fair to all parents it should be available as a real option for all. Pearson officials have been able to sell their program to some parents, now if they believe in it that strongly, they should be able to convince the Quebec government to fund pre-K across the board.